Pokemon: A Trainers Tale
by Johnny Gu-Wop
Summary: Frost, a young boy, and a member of the Monk settlement in the Eribek Mountains of the Santem region, is inclined to set out on his Pokemon journey according to ancient scriptures. A Trainers Tale, the first volume in this three part story, concerns his goal of becoming a Pokemon Master, along the way, he makes a handful of supportive friends and dangerous enemies.
1. Chapter 1

Pokémon:

A Trainers Tale

By Johnny Gu-Wop

Prologue

As far as most people are concerned, certain truths told throughout the ages are nothing more than simple folklore. Stories, designed to appeal to the young and simple minded. However, there is always more to a legend than mere opinions, and in the case of mine, it couldn't be more the case.

Let me tell you, that just because you have never seen one, does not at all indicate that they may have never existed. This world, at one time, was simply infested with magnificent creatures that are commonly referred to as Pokémon. Pokémon, are…excuse me, were, nothing short of fascinating. In the elder days, hundreds of them riddled the air, land and water. All different species, all unique. In that time, everyone had one, or more. Now I'm sure you are wondering, what exactly is a Pokémon?

If you are concerned about their exact origin and were they came from, nobody knows. Some believe they came from space, others will tell another tale, that they existed long before us. Either way, we were lucky to have them at our side. Some Pokémon, such as Porygon, or Magnezone, were not born. No, these and some others like it…were built. Why? Well human beings have always been ambitious. We want to create and control.

Well…at any rate, Pokémon are so strange and so diverse that it seems each species was created in their own ways. Regardless of how they got here, they did. Since the discover of these magnificent beasts, entire groups and cults and even religions followed. Yes, it is rather strange, that people could develop a strange mania about themselves, but regardless, for centuries humans had lived alongside Pokémon. relying on one another for companionship, and above all else, power.

Now, Pokémon and humans had a wide range of relationships. Scientists for example sought to understand these magnificent organisms, looking for clues to unlock the secrets of the universe. Some people used them for help. Chansey, for example were notorious for helping doctors in hospitals and Pokémon centers.

Of course, everyone else on the planet, had one goal in mind…to be a Pokémon Master. Children and adults alike dreamed of catching and managing the most powerful Pokémon they could find. Working hard from dawn until dusk to reach their full potential, to be the best that no one ever was. Back in those days, gyms, and contests and leagues would beef up a Pokémon. I myself had tried that some time ago. However, that is another tale for another day.

All around the world from the tip of the Orange Islands to the shores of Johto, contest would be held to determine the best of the best, and boy, were they a sight to see. Never have I seen a contest that did not give me a rush.

Considering that each region had at one time participated, it should come as nothing less than overwhelming the number of people who engaged in such activities, but to me, the most amazing region of all was Santem. Nowhere else in the world will you find such an amazing and beautiful place. Anywhere you look will see something spectacular. From the awe-inspiring scale of the Dalshtek Mountains in the north, to the great Ferrich River. Of course the cities spoke for themselves.

In all honesty, each region has their own big city, Johto for example has Goldenrod, and Sinnoh has Jubilife, but Santem…has Palendome, the regions capital. By far the most beautiful city in not only Santem, but the world. Palendome is simply overflowing with happy merchants and streets filled with music during the day, and shines brighter than the tail of an Ampharos at night, which many often complain about.

All of the citizens in that amazing place must have been taking drugs to be that happy all the time. No one could have ever expected to see people celebrating, even when there was nothing to celebrate. This behavior of course gave them a bit of a reputation according to the neighboring towns and cities. Not once however did Palendome pay any mind to it. Always happy, always focused on themselves.

Not to a selfish point mind you, but just enough so that the people were not bothered by the rumors and speculations surrounding their lovely home. Now as you can imagine their store of good will never ran thin. However, I regret to inform you that the years of peace and plenty were not to last.

Slowly the lights ran dim, the days grew short and the quiet nights came in. Eventually, the celebrating people became bitter, depressed, and afraid. For they knew something was coming, but did not know why…or when. The first they felt was a gust of wind coming through from the west. All the people walking down the dark streets looked up in terror, they let out a great shriek. Swiftly a bright light filled the sky, and the screaming ceased. The apocalypse was upon them. Rayquaza, had come.

Swiftly moving through the sky, the skyscrapers were set ablaze as screaming citizens ran for their lives. However, they were not forsaken. For trainers around the world had answered their cry for help, or at least those who did not fall victim to Rayquaza's wrath. One such trainer… was a legend himself. His name…was Red.

Red had been traveling through Santem at that point, and had gone to do what he could. Or so they thought. As fate would have it, Red would not risk the lives of his Pokémon against the behemoth. No help came from any trainers that day nor any day since. That day, changed the course of the future. For because of one bad situation, governments across the globe were afraid. This of course, marked Pokémon, as the enemy.

Now, Pokémon are all but extinct, and we must ask ourselves what could have been, had one coward stood and fought. Sometimes, I lay awake at night wishing I could go back and change those events myself. Alas, I cannot, and it should seem that Pokémon are no longer a part of our lives. Of course, I realize that this tale is far too complicated for your young ones to understand, and seeing how I have some time before your parents come to pick you up, perhaps I have time to tell you another tale.

Seeing how these events were in one way or another, set by some unseen force, you may like to hear of my own grandfather. His name was Frost. Now, this boy, was no ordinary child. No, he went on his own journey to become a Pokémon Master, which became a legend in time. Perhaps if you hear of these events, you may better understand the world we used to live in.

"Tell us then Grandpa, tell us!"

"Alright, alright, hold your horses,"

CHAPTER 1

Now, let us begin. Back in the elder days, when Pokémon still thrived, down in the South-West of the Santem region, lay the Eribek Mountains. For these mountains were the home of a group of people. Monks to be clear. They were the wisest and most intelligent individuals you could meet. Always guarding over the region. Very good thing to do on their part to be sure, for evil always looks to find a way into the world.

These monks were also very kind, even going as far as to take in the sick and abandoned. That, my dear children, is were Frost comes in. For quite by chance, and the will of the monks, fate had decided that their lives would intertwine. On a calm summer night, near the witching hour, two monks; Sage Quon, and Sage Jirajh, were traveling along one of the trails near the base of the mountains.

These two young monks, neither very old, only in their mid-thirties actually, heard something on the wind... a light breathing. Monks, being very in tune with nature, and having impeccable hearing on top of it, can in fact hear anything out of the ordinary, when anything out of the ordinary is able to be heard.

Any way, they followed the breathing towards the gates, and found a basket with a child inside. Puzzled, but not quite surprised, this was common. Every so often, parents who are unable, or even more likely, unwilling to raise a child, would leave them for the monks to raise. However, being Sages, both Quon and Jirajh, were still uncomfortable with the idea of unwanted infants. As a monk, it is custom to be sympathetic to all living things.

Quickly, they picked up the child. His cobalt eyes glistened in the moonlight. Together, they brought the child to the temple towards the middle of the settlement. This temple, is where the great Monks of old, would gather for council. Now, the monks, who seek council there, are those who are the wisest, bravest, and most tranquil, would watch over the land, not letting unsavory events undergo operation under their shadows. Violence is not the monk way, but when they are provoked, leaving would be the best thing to do.

Assuming that such a situation should occur, the monks are ready to defend the land, with the help of the legendary Pokémon. Passed down from generation to generation over the course of a thousand years. Ever since the sedition that split the Order of the Monks in two, legendary Pokémon were found and captured. Now they stay and watch, not willing to let such an event ever happen again.

When the Great Council were approached by Quon and Jirajh, the leader of the order, Master Qui-Lei, sat upon his silver chair, his snow white beard stood out against his light brown robes. Sage Jirajh's eyes met his. Still and concerned, the great monk looked at them, pondering.

"Have you another infant you wish upon us to care for?" He asked in his deep and commanding voice.

"We simply found him alone, and we can only assume that regardless of how he got there, the parents obviously do not want him," Sage Quon set down the child at Master Lei's feet.

"Of course, how silly of me, however, we do not have any quarters to spare in these halls. Perhaps it would be best if he was roomed in the North West peak,"

Now keep in mind, that Master Lei, as head of the order, was an old fashioned monk. He never felt that the full potential of the monks had been addressed, but never complained, remembering why he was head of the order in the first place. "Now that he is to be moved in, all that remains now is to determine who will raise the boy,"

"Perhaps Master Wharse could raise him," Master Goune suggested.

"Impossible, I am a guardian to several children already," Master Wharse noted, though monks were guardians to children, no monk was ever capable of raising more than a handful. This rule was made by Master Kiril, who was one of the first monks to inhabit the Eribek Mountains, he had a startling eleven children under his care, due to the stress of such a feat, he became depressed and left the order.

"I will raise the boy," Said one humble voice. This voice belonged to Master Hu. Hu was one of the younger in the order, at a notable sixtey three, this was a feat to be sure, as Master Lei for example was an astonishing ninety-one. Everyone looked at him in a strange way. Not that they were upset or offended in any way, but their voice did show some concern in their tones.

"You? Are you sure you wish to take such a responsibility?" Mater Lei asked, not wanting to offend him, but simply wishing to reassure himself that Hu was capable.

"I have confidence in my ability to raise a child master," Mater Hu reassured him. He was a bit stubborn, which was frowned upon. However, Master Lei saw this as a strength, not a weakness. Those who are set on one goal and are determined to see it through may be natural born leaders. One of the qualities that made it possible for Hu to join the council to begin with.

"Perhaps, then very well. You will raise the boy, and be sure to send him down the right path, for he is a sign. This must be the child we were supposed to keep an eye out for," This news got the council into a flurry of talking and discussing. Master Hu sat there, taking this with a grain of salt, seeing how this prophecy has no real reliable source. Still, he swore to raise the boy and that's what he did.

Master Hu took the child to an empty bedroom through corridors dug in through the mountain, forming passageways and caves leading to different areas. Each room consisted of a bed, a mirror and a window looking out to the sea. Master Hu gave him the name of Frost, on account that the room he was housed in was rather chilly, being near the snowy mist of the mountain and all.

Over the years, the boy grew up among his peers of all ages. He, like his master was humble to most and all, yet seemed to be a bit stubborn on the topics of arguments. He was also very mysterious. Keeping his skin and face hidden behind a black mask and robes. Only his baby blue eyes were visible. Regardless, he was seen as having an unimpeachable reputation among the other children his age. Despite this, Frost was seen as a humble and dedicated individual. Often he would find himself in the Great Temple towards the peak of the lowest mountain. Inside, was nothing more than a cobblestone floor, and statues of great Monks from the past.

Inside, he would sit in the middle of the floor, and meditate for what seemed like hours. Meditating, sitting perfectly still. However, something happened, while in his zone, he was interrupted. He did not know why, but he had this great urge to leave. So he did. He stood right up and left the room.

Without even thinking twice, he made his way through the winding tunnels and stairways carved into the mountain. While approaching the Western Pass, he stood, and gazed out towards the forests and fields below the mountains. Wondering what life was like, beyond the hard rock that ay beneath his feet. Still, he had no idea of what was in store for him.

While looking out past the horizon, he heard a sound. Breathing was his first guess, he followed it through the winding path until he saw it. There, laying on the ground and chained to the wall no less, was a Cyndaquil.

It lay there, quietly, sleeping, but its breath echoed through the tunnels. Frost stepped closer to it, and sat down, hoping to not startle it. He was very knowledgeable of Pokémon, and recognized it right away. Reading the all of the books he could get his hands on certainly was a good idea. As he lay there, Cyndaquil opened his eyes, and looked at Frost suspiciously.

They exchanged looks, and Cyndaquil moved over, and placed himself in Frosts lap. When a Pokémon sees someone, a bond is made. Not just anybody, but something in them made sure that they would be good friends. It cannot be put clearly in to words, but the relationship between a Pokémon and a human being, is something that even the wisest can't explain.

Frost stayed there for what seemed like hours, and wondered who had left this Cyndaquil chained to a wall, and why? Monks of all ages are raised to care for all living things, he could see that Cyndaquil was a relatively calm and affectionate creature, so he was not chained to keep away from people, he couldn't have wandered in here, he couldn't have chained himself. Frost was angry and confused, but regardless of how he got here, he was here.

So Frost left him there for a moment, and returned with some bread and water, he was careful not to be seen, he wanted this to be s secret, at least for a while. There they lay enjoying each other's company, until a great shadow overcast the both of them. The shadow, Frost quickly realized belonged to Master Hu.

He said nothing, but Frost knew he was in trouble, and followed him. He took Frost to the main temple where the great monks held council. Frost stood in the middle of the room with eight monks surrounding and looking in on him. Master Qui-Lei stood up. "Young Frost, it would seem you found our Cyndaquil,"

"Yes, I was quite puzzled by his presence in the cave," Frost replied, realizing that the monks had put him there. In his mind, Frost felt quite foolish for not guessing the obvious answer to this riddle.

"Do you know why? Why we placed him in the cave for you to find?"

"No master, I don't," By now, Frost was not only confused, but he could not help but feel angry.

"We, myself included, have come to be aware of ancient texts from the elder days, describing a sort of modulation. They speak of a boy. A boy who will change everything. Through hours of discussion and years of waiting, we have concluded that the boy the scriptures speak of…is you,"

This of course, left Frost in a state of absolute bewilderment. In his mind, a rush of theories and questions sped through his brain. Who wrote this prophecy? What makes the Monks think that he is some sort of messiah? Why would they expect him to be so accepting of this news? "Master," He sighed, "I am confident that some sort of mistake has been made,"

"Why, whatever do you mean?" Master Hu stood up, not so much angry as confused. "Do you not want to be the one who changes the world? How could any child turn down such an opportunity?'

"I meant no offense Master, I only wish to understand what you ask of me,"

"My dear Frost, we have known each other for twelve years, trust me as you always have. This path way has been placed before you. As such, this is your decision to make, not ours," Master Hu, being a humble and caring person, knew that this was too great a task for anybody, but customs, and his faith in the boy's ability to succeed, pushed him forward.

"Master, I am a monk, and a child at that, I will most certainly fail,"

"Dear Frost, you are destined for this, you will not achieve anything, cooped up in these halls, the Pokémon Tournament is calling your name, you are destined to compete,"

"You mean to say that I will be competing in the Pokémon League?" As soon as Frost heard this, a flurry of sugar coated thoughts filled his mind. His name up in lights, greeted by thunderous applause from adoring fans! He would not only be a hero, but he would be famous as well. "I suppose if that's the way it has to be," He shrugged

"Well, that's good, I suppose, you had better get ready, for your destiny lies in Palendome city to the North-East," Master Hu could not have been more pleased to hear his response

"What must I do, I do not know the way to Palendome," Frost asked, hoping to get a map of some kind.

"Down the road, about seven miles East, lies Aliroude Town. That town is the home to George Maillak, a Pokémon professor, he will ensure that you are ready for the long journey ahead of you, you will pack tonight, and go to him in the morning…after breakfast of course," With each passing moment, Frost became more and more excited, he would be the first monk, to ever become a Pokémon Master.

"Then that is where I will go, I will not fail you Master," Frost bowed

"I have faith in you, my young friend,"

"Tell me, Master, what is to become of Cyndaquil?" In all this excitement, Frost had almost forgotten about his new friend.

"Do not worry, Cyndaquil will accompany you," Master Hu reassured him, much to Frosts relief. "Now go pack, you have a long road ahead of you,"

With that, he paid his respects to the elders, and he and Cyndaquil both, returned to his quarters. By the time the sun had set, Frost had a single pack filled with clothes and food. He could resupply at Aliroude Town when he arrived. Still, despite the excitement and joy, he could not help but feel sad. He knew he would be far from home, and would not see his master for a good long while, if ever again.

Not knowing what laid ahead of him, he simply put it out of his mind, remembering that he was destined to succeed. Victory and fame were knocking at the door, and he was determined to let them in. Whatever made thee monks believe he could do this, he knew he must not disappoint them. His fate, and the future of all they stood for, depended on it.

So there he lay, on his bed for the last time. Slowly he drifted into a deep sleep. He dreamed he was on a stage, with bright lights shining upon him. Cheering fans threw flowers and gold at his feet. Music played over the sound speakers, and he had a nice tuxedo on. This is what may lie ahead of him. However, something was wrong, the music slowly faded, as did the cheering.

In mere moments the lights dimmed out, and he was standing alone in complete darkness. All alone, in a black and silent extent. All he could here, was his own breathing, and then it was silenced, by a deep and raspy voice, he could not make out what the voice was saying, but he really did not want to know. He ran from it, wherever it was coming from, faster and faster he went.

There was nothing he could do, he was out of breath and the voice was coming in clear as day. "Failure is at hand. I can see you," Before Frost were bright, lidless bright orange eyes. By now Frost was very afraid. All he saw in the eyes, was hatred and abysmal malignance. It was then that he woke up. Breathing heavily, he saw Cyndaquil next to him, still asleep.

He got up and got dressed, ready for his journey. By ten o clock, he was eating breakfast in the dining hall with the other children and monks, he knew most of the kids, but never became good friends with them. On his left several of them, were discussing Pokémon legends, such as the fall of the first dragon Pokémon, Gorma. Whom had laid waste to the Santem region, some tens of thousands of years ago.

He was slain by a mysterious warrior, and from his bones, came the birth of all dragons. Charizard, Dragonite, Kingdra and so forth owe their very existence to this dreaded beast. Frost of course was wise enough to know that this was a fable. However, he was also wise enough to not correct those who have different views. So he stayed quiet and kept to himself. After breakfast, he went to the base of the mountain where Master Hu and Master Qui-Lei were waiting.

"Well Frost, are you ready to go? Your very own Pokémon legend is about to unfold, together with Cyndaquil at your side, you will face fun times and tough challenges, are you ready to begin?" Qui-Lei stepped forward,

"Yes Master, I am," Frost bowed, he almost stuttered on his response as he held back his tears.

"My dear Frost, you have matured and grown so much since we found you twelve years ago, and now, you are going to be the first monk to become a Pokémon Trainer, do not be afraid, for one day you will tell this tale to children of your own," Master Hu smiled, he was trying to hide his sadness as well.

"Maybe, Master, I will remember you all very fondly, and I shall remember to return once I am a Pokémon Master," Frost replied glumly.

"We await your arrival," Master Hu grinned, and he knelt down and they hugged for the last time.

"I best be off then, if I am to arrive at the Pokémon Lab in Aliroude by noon," Frost signaled to Cyndaquil who jumped up onto his shoulder.

With that, they exchanged looks, and Frost headed outside, past the gates, and began walking, after a few yards, he turned around to get one last glimpse at his home, and noticed that the gates had closed behind him. Now, he was officially free, and ready for the long and dangerous road that lie ahead of him.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

As he moved further and further from his humble residence, a feeling of home sickness began to well up inside of him. However, he did not pay any mind to it, and instead focused on the grass and trees that, before, he could only look at from a distance. "You know, this is a whole new world for me Cyndaquil,"

Cyndaquil looked around, Frost guessed that this was his first time away from the mountains as well. The two of them trekked on as the sun ascended slowly into the sky, washing away the morning shadows and dew. By noon, Frost and Cyndaquil were getting hungry again. "What do you say Cyndaquil, time for a snack?"

Cyndaquil nodded, and so they sat down underneath a tall Cherry Blossom. Frost pulled out some bread and handed a small piece to Cyndaquil. While it is custom to give a Pokémon food that is made for Pokémon, he unfortunately had none to offer. So for the meantime, Cyndaquil would have to eat the food that was available to him.

"Cyndaquil, are you aware of the opportunity that has presented itself to us?" Frost asked as he fiddles with a few blades of grass he had picked up. "Really, it's, more of a mission, I have to win the Pokémon Tournament in Palendome city," Cyndaquil looked at him. "If I fail. Terrible things will happen, I can feel it in my bones,"

After a moment, Frost felt quite foolish for expecting a Pokémon to understand him. Pokémon of course have their own unique dialect, that of course being their names. Nobody knows why or even how Pokémon can only speak their names, but if you were to ask any Pokémon fanatic, they would go off on some big speech about the vocal systems and muscles and tissues enabling speech.

However, Cyndaquil did in fact respond, and that settled Frosts curiosity. Anyway…after they had stopped, for a moment or two, they continued on their path. Following a small river, river Frost could only suspect of being the Chutek River, the single longest running river in all of Santem. Starting from a lake far beneath the Eribek Mountains and trailing as far as Lake Borarh just a few miles West of Cavilton City

Frost knew that not only would following this river lead him to Aliroude Town, but also taking note that he could refill his water cantina at any time. Especially considering that the sun was as high as it would go, and Frosts Black Shinobi Shozoku would only make matters worse. Still, they carried on for several hours, and Frost began to wonder just ow far 'about' seven miles was.

"Cyndaquil, I can't help but feel we should have been there by now, the hour is late, let's get some rest," Frost set his bag up as a pillow against a boulder, and Cyndaquil lay in his lap. It was then that Frost knew that it was taking so long because he was taking a break every ten mi minutes or so. With that, he got up and decided to run in order to make up for lost time.

When they approached the top of a hill they could see Aliroude Town. Frost guessed that it was only a few miles away, but the sun was setting, and they knew it would be difficult to navigate this unknown land in the dark. So they set up against a tree for a rest, (this time with more realistic motivation.) By the next morning they were searching for breakfast, as they had eaten all their food from yesterday. Cyndaquil was up in a tree looking for apples, and found one. As he tried to pull it off the branch, he felt resistance, the fruit did not want to come down. He pulled harder and harder until he finally got it off. Cyndaquil saw the problem: a small Spearow was holding on to it.

Both Pokémon struggled for a moment before both lost their grip and the apple fell. Cyndaquil leaped down the branches hoping to reach the apple first, Spearow swooped down past him and grabbed it. Now, Cyndaquil was feeling agitated.

He stood up and looked Spearow in its eyes, they circled around the apple for a moment before Spearow flapped its wings creating a cloud of dust and went for the apple. Cyndaquil could not see very well, but beat the Spearow to it. As the dust cloud dissipated, Spearow began to peck wildly at Cyndaquil who still had a grip on the apple.

"Cyndaquil, what are you doing?" Frost asked. A good question too, Cyndaquil could have gotten another apple. However, giving up was not on Cyndaquil's agenda. Spearow's grip was tight, but Cyndaquil managed to pull the apple a few feet before kicking Spearow, knocking it over.

Frost could only stand by and watch, not wanting to get involved in their little conflict. A few moments passed and finally the Spearow finally let go of the apple and flew off in a fit of rage. Cyndaquil sat and ate his hard earned treat in triumph. "Cyndaquil, you are going to cause more trouble than you can handle one of these days."

Cyndaquil of course paid little attention, and instead enjoyed the apple, Frost now, was hungry after such a show, and grabbed his own. Just as he was about to take a bite, he saw something moving. With a closer inspection, he could see it was a Clefairy. Clefairy were supposed to be very rare, so Frost had to see it up close.

He snuck around a bush to get a better look. Much to his surprise, and perhaps even disappointment, the Clefairy was with a trainer. More specifically, a young blonde girl who was fishing in the river. Frost approached them to say hello. He grabbed Cyndaquil and walked by, Clefairy approached them.

"Clefairy, that's rude, I'm sorry, she's usually much more calm," She got up and set down her fishing rod. "I'm Megan, and who might you be?"

"You can call me Frost," Frost leaned up against the rock she was sitting on.

"Is that really your name?" Megan asked. This puzzled Frost as he knew that while his name was technically a nickname, he never asked if his parents left him with a real name before he was left at the mountains.

"Well my real name is Laurence VonEisenbergovichenstein, but most people call me Frost," he shrugged, Megan chuckled and Clefairy began to bounce. Are you a Pokémon trainer?"

"I plan on it, I'm heading to Professor Maillak's lab in Aliroude Town," Megan took a drink from her water bottle and offered some to Clefairy as well. "Really I hope I can make my profession to be a Pokémon Professor like Mr. Maillak."

I'm sure this would not be such a surprise to you or me, but this was news to Frost. He was impressed of course, as he just assumed that she would want to be a Pokémon Master such as himself. "That's pretty cool, I wasn't aware that there was such a wide range of possibilities with Pokémon."

"Girls can't be into Pokémon?" Megan asked sternly, crossing her arms

"No, that's not what I meant at all. What I meant was, that I am not familiar with Pokémon training, or anything of the sort that is associated with them. After all I do not come from around here, this is all new to me," Frost did not want to offend her, but he had to admit that his words did not come out the way he meant.

"I know, I know, I was just teasing, take it easy," Megan laughed.

"Well, I myself happen to be gallivanting our way to the professor's lab, from there we'll be heading to Palendome to enter the Pokémon league," Frost pointed to the town in the distance.

"Excuse me for asking, but you said that you are not from around here, then…where are you from?" Megan asked,

"Oh, well I come from the congregation of Monks that have situated themselves on the slopes of the Eribek Mountains," Being pompous was not in frosts character, but he figured that most girls liked guys with advanced vocabulary.

"I was wondering what your outfit was from, but mostly ninjas wear those types of garb," Megan eyed Frost from head to foot. " Would you object to me accompanying you on your trek?"

"No, I don't mind at all, Cyndaquil?" Frost turned to Cyndaquil, but he was busy playing with Clefairy. "I don't think he would say no either," Frost chuckled. Their laughter however, was cut short.

Cyndaquil and Clefairy ran back to them, when both Frost and Megan turned to see them, a small flock of Spearow were pursuing them. When Frost saw them, he knew they had a thorn in their side that they wanted to remove.

"What is that?" Megan shrieked as she picked up Clefairy.

"I'll tell you when it's safer. Just run!" Frost picked up Cyndaquil and ran for it. Megan followed close behind. The flock of Spearow were gaining on them, but the town was in sight. Only a mile or two, and they would be safe. However, Spearow are fiercely territorial, and not at all forgiving when angered.

With half a dozen Spearow swooping down at them, Frost and Megan stopped when Cyndaquil leaped off of Frosts shoulder. Cyndaquil stood still, when two Spearow landed and were more than ready and willing to fight. With a deep breath, Cyndaquil ignited the flame on his back. Much to Frost, and Megan, and Spearow's surprise, the flame on this Cyndaquil was black.

Frost had never seen anything like it, why was Cyndaquil's flame black? Was Cyndaquil a rare breed? Or he could be an anomaly, or even some sort of experiment gone wrong. It didn't matter right now, Cyndaquil eyed both Spearow. One of them leapt at him, quickly Cyndaquil spat a black flame that encased the Spearow's right wing in a waistcoat of solid ice.

Frost could not believe what he was seeing. He didn't even pay attention to the fight, he was too distracted by the Pokémon that was frozen by a fire type Pokémon. At the sight of his frozen ally, the other Spearow began pecking violently at Cyndaquil, who was struggling to keep his footing. Sand began to form a cloud around the fight due to the flapping wings.

With a quick shove, Cyndaquil escaped the Spearow's grip and spat his frozen flames at it. His aim was off, only grazing its left leg, the Spearow shrieked, then stumbled and fell. Cyndaquil gave it a swift kick, then stood over it in triumph. Slowly, Spearow stood up, then gave Cyndaquil and Frost a look, then did its best to flap its wings and retreat for a second time. Frost looked up to see the others follow.

"Cyndaquil! That was amazing!" Frost applauded wildly. "I did not know you had ice powers, that's amazing!" Frost could not believe his luck. He gets to compete in the Pokémon league, become famous, and has a super rare Pokémon to boot!

"Come on Frost, before the come back," Megan brought him back to reality, Spearow are vengeful creatures. Both of them knew that Spearow would come back. So they ran as fast as their legs would allow, and within a half an hour, they had reached the borders of Aliroude town.

When they reached the town, they had become completely exhausted, but felt safe. Wild Pokémon tend to avoid paces with a lot of people. Aliroude itself was pleasant enough. Clean, nice looking houses, everybody was nice. However, Frost and Megan were not here to see them. They had come to see Professor Maillak.

Together, they must have spent an hour looking for the laboratory, and eventually of course they found it. The lab was placed by a small stream, and a group of trees on either side of its walls. On the sides of the walkway to the front door was a wooden fence, Frost noted that it was a humble abode, and hoped he would find who he was looking for inside.

They stepped in, and were taken back by how warm it was, even compared to the eighty-degree weather outside this building was very toasty. "My I be of any help to you?" Frost and Megan turned around to see that the voice was coming from Professor Maillak himself. He was a tall and well-built fellow, with a goatee and a white lab coat with purple stains on it. "Perhaps I may introduce myself, I am Professor Maillak,"

"I am Frost, and this is Cyndaquil," Frost stepped forward.

"My name is Megan, this is my friend Clefairy," She stepped forth as well.

Professor Maillak looked at Megan, then turned his attention towards Frost. "I suppose that both of you want to be Pokémon trainers?" He asked, and both nodded. "Well then, welcome to my laboratory, I can see that you do not need Pokémon, but let me see if I can help you out anyway,"

He took them both to a small room, were one of the assistants were examining a sick Grimer, Frost guessed that Grimer got the stains on the professors' coat. Maillak opened a small cabinet and took out two small red devices and handed them to the kids.

"These are going to be your Pokédex's, you can use them to catalogue and track the Pokémon you meet on your journey, this can also act as your identification should you ever need it,"

"Excuse me sir," Frost interrupted, "Were exactly is the Pokémon League held?"

"the Pokémon League, is situated near Palendome city to the North, the Pokédex has a map system if you ever need it, on the way, be sure to stop and challenge yourself at the gyms,"

"…the what?" Frost asked.

"In order to gain entry to the league, you must have a minimum of eight badges that you win from defeating gym leaders, did you not know that?"

"No, I…" Frost was surprised, Master Hu never mentioned the badge collecting aspect.

"Well you do, otherwise they will not let you compete, and that's that." Maillak gave Frost a look, he could not tell what he was thinking, but his face looked as if he felt irritated, and annoyed, and confused all at once. "I suppose you would like some Pokéballs as well, if you know what those are," Maillak handed each of them a small case, with five Pokéballs inside.

"What kind of Pokémon can be found around here?" Frost asked politely, hoping to not irritate the professor any further than he supposed he had. "We uh…had a run in with some Spearow out there, but, are there any less hostile Pokémon?"

"Well of course, as of today, we know of a whopping total of four hundred and ninety-three Pokémon, and more are being discovered every year, I'm sure that you'll find a few," The Professor chuckled, Frost could not help but pick up on his condescending tone.

"For now, I suppose you could use some supplies, so let's get some food to eat, and we will discuss your plan," Maillak took them to the kitchen, and pulled out some bread and cheese. They sat at the table by the door.

"Now pay attention my adolescent friends, here, is Aliroude, and less than three days' travel down this road will lead to Terreburgh City, there you will meet Kane, he uses fighting type Pokémon, from there, all you have to do is follow this road here, and eventually you will arrive at Palendome City," Maillak showed them a map of the region and guided them through the best routes to take.

Frost eyed the whole map, and it dawned on him just how large Santem was, he figured it would take him months to cover this much ground. For a split second, Frost began to regret taking this quest upon himself. "How long would it take to get to Palendome on foot?" He asked, hoping the answer would be easy.

"Well, considering sleep, eating, training, and so on, about…a year," Maillak stated, this made Frost sick, he felt woozy in his stomach and groaned. Unfortunately, his illness would have to wait, or even get worse. A man came in running through the front door, panting, his eyes were blood shot and pupils dilated, his name was Amsel Grigivich, the professors second hand man.

"Professor! Something is wrong, something is terribly wrong!" Amsel struggled to stand up, and leaned upon the wall, Professor Maillak hurried to get a hold of him, and set him down in a chair. Amsel took a sip of water and set the glass down.

"Whats wrong? What do you mean?" Maillak asked, hoping to get the full story.

"As you know, I was in Selthwood cataloguing Carnivines, but Selthwood is sick, Professor, nothing grows anymore, the trees and plants are dying and decaying., but it's worse, the webs now span across the entire southern portion of the forest,"

"What webs, what are you talking about?" Maillak asked.

"Ariados, professor. Giant ones, something unnatural made them grow, but I followed their trail. They led me to the Whaltist Farm,"

"Whaltist? That house has been abandoned for a hundred years, its vacant,"

"No Professor, it is not empty, there is something in there, something terrible. The walls are drenched in an evil power, something that has not been around for a millennium," Amsel began to panic, his skin began to change to a pale and sickly white.

"I saw it Professor, from out of the oblivion, the Zetigrah, have come back!"

5


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Right then and there, without any warning at all, Amsel dropped to the floor and started to scream. Professor Maillak struggled to get him up.

"Dr. Watson! Call an ambulance, someone get these kids away from here!" Frost and Megan ran out of the room not wanting to see what would happen next, and they waited outside. Amsel continued to scream in terrible agony, shaking and jolting about, desperate to hang on to his life. Blood was rushing out of his mouth and eyes. He continued shaking violently, until he slowed down, and eventually stopped moving altogether.

Eventually, an ambulance did arrive, Professor Maillak told the paramedics that all he could guess was that he had succumbed to a venomous sting. Amsels body was taken away, and Maillak went to go get the kids. Frost and Megan were waiting in the back room, hoping that the man would be okay.

'You can come out now, everything is going to be okay," Both kids came out, still shocked at what they had seen.

"Where is that young man?" Megan asked, looking around.

"I'm afraid, that Mr. Grigivich suffered from fatal injuries, he is being taken to the hospital in Kelivarth City,"

Megan wanted to throw up, and then she wanted to cry, at the young and impressionable age of thirteen, she had never seen anyone die before. Both Maillak and Frost knew that neither he or Megan should be exposed to such a cruel fate, but Frost wanted to stay strong, and said nothing. However, they were interrupted by another visitor.

A young boy, no older than fifteen, walked in. He looked quite stern, and approached the professor. "Are you Professor Maillak?" He asked.

"Why, yes I am. How can I help you?" He stood up and shook his hand.

"My name is John, I'm here to acquire a Pokémon, if you have any left," he eyed the shelf where the starter Pokémon were kept.

"perhaps I may be of some help to you, but I have business to attend to first if you don't mind," Professor Maillak looked back at Frost and Megan, John looked at them annoyed.

"No, I don't mind at all, I'll be back later," With that, he turned around and walked out the door. Professor Maillak turned back to Frost and Megan.

"Sorry about that, anyway, you best be off, it's a long and dangerous road, get some sleep, eat a big meal, and be on your way.," With that, Professor Maillak left them there and went about his business.

After their registration for the Santem League had been completed, Frost and Megan, along with their Pokémon, left the laboratory and went out to explore the town a little. Both Frost and Cyndaquil wanted to find the most powerful Pokémon a trainer could get.

"Perhaps," Megan suggested, "If the road really is as long as the Professor claims, we might take his advice and get some sleep," She looked at Clefairy, who was struggling to stay awake. She picked her up and let her rest in her arms.

"You're right, do you think we could find a hotel?" Frost looked around.

"A hotel? No, we don't have any money, we're broke," Megan looked at him sternly, really, Frost said something stupid, so he kept quiet. "We could however, stay at my house and leave in the morning," Megan shrugged, "My mother used to be a trainer herself,"

"Will they let us? More importantly, will they approve of your desire to go on a long journey?" Frost had wondered if she had considered that, which she had. In fact, she knew her parents would not think too fondly of the idea, nor would they like her to go gallivanting off with a strange boy.

When they arrived at her house, which was very cozy looking, a nice yellow coat of paint, and a nice assortment of flowers in the garden, her parents however, did not suit the house.

Her father, Walter, who was at one time a very noble man, had become quite fond of the drink. In his early days, he was quite a skilled trainer himself. However, in the last ten years, his brother was killed in an accident involving his Pokémon. Unfortunately, this left him depressed and he began to drink to hide the pain.

Her mother, Abigail, was a Pokémon stage performer, in that, she had a show with a handful of helpers to entertain audiences in her town. She was forced to leave by Walter who had just began drinking at the time, and did not want her to work with Pokémon, which he referred to as "Vile mutations,"

"Megan, where on Earth have you been all day?" Abigail asked crossly, Walter came in, and was very angry compared to her.

"We don't want you to go anywhere without our permission again! Do you understand? And you, young man, we don't want you with our daughter, or near those…filthy beats,"

"Dad, this is my friend Frost, he wants to be a Pokémon Master," Megan pointed to Frost, who went up and offered him a handshake. Walter, looked at his hand, and spat in it.

"You…you are one of them Monks aren't you? You and those blithering fools. Mountain folk don't usually interact with civilized humans,"

"Don't talk about my family that way, you don't know them the way I do," Frost stepped up and looked him in the eye, but all he did was laugh and drink his whiskey, then left the room.

Abigail looked at Walter, then back to Frost. "I'm sorry, he's very testy when he drinks,"

"Don't worry about it ma'am, it's not your fault," Frost said and wiped his hands on his knee.

"We were, well really I was wondering, since Frost is going on a Pokémon journey, that I might accompany him."

"Megan you know how your…father feels about Pokémon, and I certainly don't want you going out there, it's too dangerous for someone your age." She walked into the kitchen, both kids followed.

"But mom, dad used to be a trainer, and so did you, why can't I be? Clefairy can take care of me if I get in to trouble." Clefairy smiled at Abigail, whose look remained unimpressed.

"Your father, hates Pokémon after what happened, he won't let you, and you know how he treats me. I know I should divorce him, but then what will he do to you?"

"You can't get a divorce, dad needs help, he's sad, take him to counseling,"

'I'm not getting in to this with you, okay? I don't care if you go, but your father will try to stop you, now if you and your friend want to get some sleep then go," With that, Abigail turned around and left the room. Frost and Mega went to bed, Frost stayed in the guest room across the hall from Megan's bedroom.

At about midnight, Megan got up out of bed, careful not to wake up Clefairy, or worse yet, her parents. She snuck across the hall to where Frost was fast asleep, and tapped him on his shoulder till he awoke. "Megan? What do you want?" Frost yawned and sat up.

"Listen carefully, my parents are very light sleepers, we need to leave now,"

"Why not wait till morning?" Frost whispered, he was just able to stay awake.

"My parents don't want me to go, if I don't, I'll never get to live my dream. If I stay, I only make my life worse, now come on."

Together, along with their Pokémon of course, were almost out the door. Walter however, had other plans.

"Where do you think you're going? Get back in to bed, now!" Megan looked at him angrily.

"No, I'm going to follow in your footsteps and be a great Pokémon trainer, a doctor, maybe even a professor,"

Walter scurried over and grabbed her arm. "No you're not, there will be no more Pokémon in this house, tomorrow we are taking Clefairy and having it put down" Megan struggled to break free, but Walter held on tight. Frost tried to intervene, but got a swift punch in the groin and fell back.

"Cyndaquil. Stop him!" Cyndaquil leaped forward and froze Walter to the ground. Megan eventually broke free and they both ran. Megan snatched her bag as she and Frost bolted out the door. They must have been running for at least a mile before they dropped to the ground, struggling to catch their breath.

"I can't believe we did that! Wow!" Megan was laughing, in between deep breaths of course. "Wow, that was awesome!"

"I don't think they're going to follow us, we can rest for now," Frost said as he sighed and leaned against a tree. "Are you sure we're doing the right thing? Where I come from, it's not usual for someone our age to defy his elders," Frost looked behind him, then ahead. The road led on, and the borders of the town were in sight.

"You heard my dad, he wanted to kill Clefairy, Oh, I don't know what I would do if something were to happen to her, we've been friends for almost two years now. I couldn't risk it, and couldn't sit by and let them treat me like that, we had to run,"

Now that their journey had officially begun for a third time, Frost was anxious to find and catch a Pokémon. So he reached into his bag and pulled out his Pokédex. Together, he and Cyndaquil went through a brush out into a field. In this field, there were only a few scarce trees, eventually the tress got together and formed Cailthek Forest. Very small compared to Selthwood, or Viridian Forest in Kanto.

They made sure to stay near the edge, not wanting to venture in too deep. They had no intention of getting lost this early in their quest. Frost kept his eyes peeled. Looking under rocks, in trees and finally, he saw something. A small brown bird, sitting on a branch. It was a Pidgey. Frost looked at Cyndaquil, who as quietly as he could, climbed the tree. Pidgey, who took o notice to Cyndaquil, was looking out at the forest, waiting to find a meal.

With a single blast from his ice breath, Cyndaquil nearly knocked the Pidgey off the branch. However, she got her balance back, and began to flap her wings. A gust attack from any bird Pokémon, even from such a small one as Pidgey, is not to be underestimated. Cyndaquil almost fell off the branch, but managed to hold on.

Pidgey stepped forward, and gave Cyndaquil a nasty sneer. With less than a moment's hesitation, Cyndaquil got back up and spat another patch of ice at her. His hit was direct, and Pidgeys wings were frozen stiff, as she tried to fly away, the weight of the ice pulled her to the ground. When she landed, Frost ran up and pulled out one of the Pokéballs Maillak gave hm.

With a swift and well placed throw, the ball opened and the system built inside sucked the Pidgey in. Frost looked intensely at the ball that was shaking and bouncing, but then it stopped moving. Frost had caught his very first Pokémon. He jumped and cheered at his big and yet very small, and even to some, mediocre achievement.

He and Cyndaquil ran back to Megan and Clefairy who were sitting under a tree in the meadow. "Megan! Megan! I did it! I caught a Pidgey! I just caught my very first Pokémon!"

"That's great, Frost," She smiled, she has caught Pokémon before, and now as a more experienced trainer, catching a Pokémon is not a big deal. Still, she knew Frost was new and happy, so she decided to not burst his bubble. As Frost sat down he threw his Pokéball and let Pidgey out.

"Hey Pidgey, welcome to the crew, you and I are going to win the Pokémon championships," Frost smiled. Pidgey stood there for a moment and then pecked Frost, giving him a pretty nasty cut. Frost jumped and reached for the Pokéball. But Pidgey kept pecking at him. Megan grabbed the ball and sucked thee Pidgey in to it.

"You had better be careful, Pidgey are usually supposed to be very docile, but you picked the bitter one of the pack," Megan handed him the ball, then helped clean his wounds.

"Sounds like someone is off to a bad star already," Megan and Frost turned around to see the boy from the lab. John stood there, the light reflecting off of his bright red shirt. Frost stood up.

"Yeah, I guess so," He laughed, hoping he had made a new friend.

"You find your inability to keep something as simple as a Pidgey under control?" John stepped forward. "With that attitude, you certainly won't win the championship,"

"Who are you to tell me how to be a good trainer?" Frost asked angrily, he didn't even know this guy, and already he didn't like him. Still, John looked at them both, unmoved and cold.

"Don't be mad, I'm just trying to make sure that if you are going to be my competition, that you pose an actual threat," John looked at his Pokédex, "I've already seen over fifty Pokémon,"

"You only just registered today, how can you have seen so many?" Frost shook his fist, confused and irritated by his pompous attitude.

"Not that my life is any concern to you, but since it will prove my Point, I was born and raised in Tougargh City to the west, on my way to Professor Maillak's lab, I found many different species," John could tell he was getting Frosts goat, and that exactly what he wanted. John knew more about Pokémon battle statistics then he let on, both obvious and otherwise.

"I'm just getting started as a trainer, so don't come here and annoy me, I'm going to be a Pokémon master," Frost put his foot down. Cyndaquil stepped forward and looked at John.

"So you have a Cyndaquil, I also got a Pokémon from Maillak," John pulled out a Pokéball and showed him before putting it back in his bag.

"Because I know more about the league than you do, wining will be a piece of cake," John laughed. Frost only got angrier and angrier.

"Why don't you battle me then? Three verses three," Frost stood up now in a fit of rage.

Megan tapped him on the shoulder. "Frost, you only have two," Frost groaned, realizing he was letting his ego get the better of him. This only made John laugh.

"Well, then if you are a beginner as you say, I'll give you some advice. Catch as many Pokémon as you can and make them as powerful as you can,"

This was trivial, even to a beginner like Frost. Of course he knew that only strong Pokémon could win battles. He wanted to punch John in his smug face, but being a monk, he had kindness and restraint running through his veins.

"Go out, catch some Pokémon, and make them stronger. With any luck, one day, you may actually be a challenge to beat," With one last laugh, John turned around and continued down the path into the forest. Frost could only guess he had to meet up with his herd of Golbats. Frost had an inkling that they would meet again.

Later that night, Frost and Clefairy made a fire, and they were all lying around it. Megan had swiped a couple of sleeping bags from her parents before they fled. She was lying there peacefully, Clefairy was drinking from her cantina, and Cyndaquil was eating a bit of bread. "Frost, aren't you going to let Pidgey out?"

Frost sat up and looked at the ball with Pidgey inside. "not now, maybe some other time, when she gets to know me a little better," He but the ball back in his bag.

"Don't let John get to you, all you need is to show Pidgey that you are her friend," Megan yawned, "In time, I'm sure she'll grow to like you," She then laid back down and closed her eyes. She tried to sleep, but could not get the image of Amsel out of her head. "Hey, Frost, can I ask you something?"

Frost yawned, not really wanting to stay awake for much longer. "Yeah, ask me anything,"

"Why do you wear a mask?" Megan looked at him. Frost, was very surprised at this question. Even he did not give this much thought. He had been wearing these robes since he was a mere infant. At first, he was under the impression it was custom for the culture, but after a while, he just got used to wearing them.

"Um, to hide my face," Frost had to think quick to give her an answer.

"Is that part of the monk culture?" Megan asked politely.

"Well, no, it's not absolutely mandatory, I wear them because I feel comfortable with them on." Frost wanted to tell her about the whole identity, no parents side of the story, but could not find a way to put it into words so that she understood. He knew that his answer would be sufficient enough for her. At least until he was comfortable enough with her to take the mask off.

He did not ponder too much on this however, instead, he closed his eyes, and in a few minutes he was in a deep sleep.

5


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

At first light the next morning, Megan and Clefairy awoke to find that Frost and Cyndaquil had gone off again to find Pokémon. Perhaps even to train the Pidgey Frost managed to capture. So, until they returned, she and Clefairy decided to make some breakfast.

They had a loaf of bread slathered in honey, with each drinking at least a quart of Miltank Milk. Clefairy wanted to eat what they had left, but Megan knew it would be more courteous to save some for Frost and Cyndaquil. Who were now exploring the deeper parts of the forest.

"Cyndaquil, keep it quiet, I think I hear something," Frost pointed ahead towards a thicket. Cyndaquil moved in as quietly as he could to see what it was. As he moved past the bush, he could see on the other side, was a Caterpie. She was very slow, almost as if it was sick. Frost came up behind, curious to see what Cyndaquil had found.

Frost could see that the Caterpie was hurt, so he gently picked it up and gave it some water. When he lifted her up, he could see a cut on her belly. Deep enough to cause serious pain, but not so deep that she was involved in a losing fight. Frost ripped off a piece of his pants leg and wrapped it around Caterpie to make a bandage.

They headed back to the make shift camp site where Megan and Clefairy were getting things ready to leave. "Megan," Frost found her, and showed her the injured Pokémon. "This Caterpie needs help,"

"I'm no Pokémon nurse, where's the nearest Pokémon canter?" Megan asked, she reached inside her bag for the map. "The nearest one is in Terreburg City, but it's over six miles away," She set her map down and began to think. She knew the bandage would stop the bleeding, and he cut would heal over time, but the Caterpie needed care. Megan began to search her bag, hoping she had brought some medications with her.

She only had antidotes and awakenings, nothing to help wounds. So she and Cyndaquil went around the edge of the forest. Every trainer, regardless of experience level, should be knowledgeable of the healing powers of certain herbs and berries. Berries of course being very easy to find, herbs are a bit trickier. Still, as a child who dreamed of being a Pokémon nurse, she knew this would be the perfect opportunity to gain experience in that field.

While exploring the borders, Cyndaquil found a small bush with periwinkle flowers on it. He got Megan, hoping it would help. Megan identified the flower as Diliweed. Diliweed is a very potent type of healing herb that is used to heal burns and cuts. Megan picked a dozen of the peddles and took them back to the Caterpie.

"What is that stuff?" Frost asked [pointing to the flowers.

"It's Diliweed, it can help the wound," Megan tore up the flowers and put them in water, placing it over the fire. "In a few minutes, the water will mix with the plants, then, Caterpie can sit in it for a while,"

"All she has to do is sit in it?" Frost picked up the Caterpie, who was whimpering in pain. Frost began to wonder where the wound had come from, but was more concerned about healing it than the origins. Caterpie struggled to get into the water, and there it stayed for almost two hours.

Frost and Megan prayed that the Diliweed would help the Pokémon. They both know that an injured Pokémon could easily fall victim to a predator. Even more so, a small and slow Pokémon like Caterpie. With any luck, Caterpie would be all healed up. For a moment, Frost even considered catching it, however, the capturing of an already badly wounded Pokémon is not a fair and reasonable catch.

Frost looked at Caterpie for what seems like forever. Cyndaquil went over to keep her company, they seemed to hit it off okay. Within a few hours, Frost lifted up the Caterpie out of the hot water, and looked at its belly. Her wound was almost completely healed, but a scar still remained.

Caterpie was feeling much better and very happy. "Well Caterpie, you're all healed up, I guess you best be off," Frost set her down to leave, but she didn't. Caterpie stayed behind. "Don't you want to go? Unless…you would like to accompany us," Caterpie nodded and crawled over to Cyndaquil and Clefairy. The both of them seemed to be very fond of Caterpie, and she was sure to return their sentiments.

"Well, I guess, you and I could be good friends," Frost reached into his bag and pulled out a Pokéball. He tossed it and it hit the ground. The ball opened and sucked Caterpie into it. Caterpie did not struggle to break free, and Frost had managed to find a new ally. Hopefully a better one than his Pidgey.

After that, he and Megan were back on the road once again. "You see that hill over there?" Megan pointed off in the distance. Frost could see it.

"Yeah, what about it?" Frost asked.

"Terreburg is on the other side, that's less than two miles away, we'll be there in about an hour after we reach the top," Frost and Cyndaquil exchanged looks, both were in a flurry of excitement. In that city, was the first gym Frost would challenge. All he had to do was win. However, he knew he was not prepared.

"Megan, wait we need to stop again," Frost said, Megan stopped and looked at Frost.

"Why, do we need to stop again, we already lost a few hours because of the Caterpie, we can stop now,"

"But Megan, I have to prepare for the gym challenge," Frost whined.

"You can't wait till we get there to train?" Megan crossed her arms, she and Frost both knew he has had plenty of time to train, but hasn't utilized any of it very well.

"Fine, you have ten minutes," Megan huffed, growing very impatient. She and Clefairy sat down to rest, and Clefairy took a quick nap, for she was very tired. In the meantime, Frost let out his Pokémon. Caterpie came out first, and Pidgey afterwards. Without even a moment's hesitation, Pidgey looked at Caterpie and began chasing her. She nearly got her too, but Cyndaquil shot Pidgeys right wing, and she fell.

"Pidgey! Knock it off, she's a friend," Frost yelled at Pidgey, but the bird paid no attention and began another pursuit. She had Caterpie in the clutches of her talon until Frost sucked her back into her ball. Caterpie had hidden behind a rock and was too scared to come out.

"Caterpie, you can come out now, Pidgeys gone. I promise its safe." Frost did his best to comfort her, and with a little hesitation, she came out. Frost knew it would be better to train one at a time. So he placed her across from Cyndaquil. He knew that Caterpie was inexperienced and going easy on it was the best way for it to gain confidence.

"Now, Cyndaquil I want you to tackle Caterpie, and Caterpie when he does, you roll out of the way and get him with your string shot attack, got it?" Caterpie nodded and prepared for Cyndaquil attack. Quick as he could, Cyndaquil charged, and Caterpie bounced out of the way with mere moments to spare. In fact, Cyndaquil was quite surprised by her agility and speed, if not impressed.

When she turned around, she spat her webbing, and covered Cyndaquil in a hurry. Then stopped to wait for further instructions. "Good job Caterpie, you okay Cyndaquil?" Cyndaquil nodded and pulled the webs off. "Okay, Caterpie, I want you to charge at Cyndaquil, and Cyndaquil is going to make a smokescreen so he can escape."

Caterpie charged with all her might, and Cyndaquil puffed a thick layer of smoke. Caterpie ran right past him and he escaped. Caterpie was confused at first, but managed to find her way out as well. "Caterpie, tackle him!" Frost commanded. She obeyed and hit Cyndaquil with surprising force for such a small organism. Cyndaquil stumbled back and fell down. Caterpie was very pleased by her performance.

"Okay, Caterpie, that's enough for now," Frost returned her to her Pokéball, the he threw out Pidgeys. Pidgey sat there on the ground and did not move. Nor did she acknowledge Frost or Cyndaquil at all. "Pidgey, are you ready to battle?" Pidgey did not respond, instead, she sat down and ignored him. "Pidgey, you have to do as I say," Pidgey gave no response. To Frost, it was abundantly clear that Pidgey did not view him as a worthy trainer.

Frost sucked her back in to the Pokéball, knowing he would not get anywhere with her for the time being. Megan watched with sympathy, and she tried to hide a bit of laughter. For someone who dreams of being a Pokémon master, he was doing a poor job of training a simple Pidgey. Megan, though a respectful person, could not help but find this concept funny.

Finally, they were once again on their way, and reached the top of the hill. Together, they looked out and saw Terreburg City. Frost guessed that it was less than two miles away. With not another moment they could afford to lose, the bolted towards the city. Running as fast as their legs would allow, they eventually reached the city limits.

"We did it Frost, we made it. Now don't you feel better having achieved something?" Megan joked.

"There is no time limit to being a Pokémon master, it's my destiny. So no matter what happens, I'm going to be a Pokémon master," Frost looked at Cyndaquil, who smiled and rubbed against him.

"There is a time limit actually, the official Pokémon league championship competition begins in less than a year, and you have to get eight badges before then." Megan reminded him. He knew what he had to do, and did not want Megan to think he would let his ego get the better of him.

At about noon, they began searching for the Pokémon center. Usually where one is found, a gym should be nearby. "According to this map," Megan read, "The Pokémon center should just be at the corner of this street," They looked around and finally saw it, hidden behind a group of trees.

When they got inside, the two of them had their Pokémon healed. When Caterpie came out, Frost was surprised to see the scar had been removed. Nurse Joy, who was running the Pokémon Center, was very kind and offered both of them a hot meal. "I hope that you enjoy your stay in Terreburg City, if there is anything I can do to help, just let me know,"

"Actually there is," Frost said, as he set down his mug of cola. "Can you direct me to the Pokémon gym?"

"Why yes I can," Nurse Joy smiled. "It's only a block away, but I'm afraid the gym is closed now, you'll have to wait till tomorrow before it opens," Nurse Joy pointed to the clock, it was already half past seven. Frost had not realized how long they had already been in Terreburg and did not think too fondly of having to wait even longer for his first official battle.

"Thank you, uh, by any chance do you know of any places we could stay, like a hotel or something?" Frost wondered, after several days of sleeping in a bad, he was anxious to spend the night in a soft and cozy bed.

"Well, I suppose you could stay here, we have rooms in the back for trainers, if that's okay?" Nurse Joy directed them to the back. Frost and Cyndaquil took the bed nearest to the door. Megan and Clefairy laid down right away and went to sleep. Frost however, was too excited to sleep, so he and Cyndaquil ran out to find a good place to practice.

They found a nice open area by the park, and got set up. Frost knew that, as much as he didn't want to, he would have to handle Pidgey. So he threw her out first. When she came out, she looked around. Frost walked up to her, but she did her best to ignore him. "Pidgey, you are going to have to do what I say," Pidgey looked at him. "Can you just try and obey?" Pidgey flew up in to the air, and pecked his head, the flew up even higher and perched up on the branch of a tree.

Frost spent a half hour calling to her, demanding that she come down at once. However, Pidgeys will was far too strong. With no luck in sight, he called Pidgey back to her Pokéball. He could not understand why Pidgey did not want to listen to him. Caterpie and Cyndaquil were all obedient and loyal, but this Pidgey, was very stubborn. For now, he would focus on strengthening his Caterpie.

Together, Cyndaquil and Caterpie trained with Frost till nearly midnight. Caterpie was feeling much more confident in battle, and Cyndaquil could freeze over objects in a hurry. During an exercise break, Caterpie was jumping from a swing seat to a nearby table. Thanks to her excellent vision, she could make out where it was, even in the dark.

It was the very witching hour of night, before Frost and Cyndaquil made their way back to the Pokémon Center. Terreburg was a very friendly looking place during the day, but with only the moonlight illuminating the roads, Frost and Cyndaquil could not help but feel nervous. The trees were over casting them, blocking out a good portion of the moon light. "I don't like being out this late Cyndaquil," He whispered. "Especially in a place that I am unfamiliar with." Cyndaquil looked around and could not see anything.

Before long, they saw a single light off in the distance, a closer observation revealed it to be a lamp post. Frost was beginning to worry, they had not yet returned to the Pokémon Center, and should have been there by now. They could not find it, and were beginning to panic. What if they are lost until the sun comes up? He needed rest, and more time to prepare for his battle at the gym.

One would think that there would be more lights to guide their way. However, and unbeknownst to Frost, the power station for the city, was undergoing certain events that do not come into our story yet. For now, Frost was running around and looking for the center, now fully engulfed in fear. His nerves did not calm however, when he thought he heard noises. In reality, it was nothing, but Frost was too afraid to think rationally.

Poor Frost and Cyndaquil were lost. Lost in an unfamiliar area, in an unfamiliar town in the middle of night. A true pity indeed, because they had passed the Pokémon Center a total of four times, but they were too afraid to notice. Really, the dark can have a foreboding appearance about it, even if there is nothing to worry about. "Cyndaquil, we need help. Let's…well, now that I think about it, we haven't seen anybody"

It must have been almost three, before Frost found his way back, thanks to the town map in his bag. He had forgotten about it entirely, and decided that he deserved to be lost that long due to his incompetence. Still, he made it back, and snuck in, careful to not wake Megan up.

He woke up at about quarter to ten, Megan, Clefairy, and Cyndaquil were eating breakfast. They had eggs, and waffles slathered in syrup, and greasy delicious bacon strips. Frost ate almost two helpings of each and got his things ready for the gym challenge that awaited him. Nurse Joy came in, who was caring for a sick Meditite.

"Frost, if your waiting for the gym, it opens in about ten minutes, so you can go in there early before the majority of trainers flood the place,"

"Thanks for the advice, Megan, do you want to come?" He asked. Megan was setting her dishes in the sink.

"No thanks, Clefairy and I are going to look around and see what's what, I understand you did quite a bit of exploring last night," She and Nurse Joy laughed, but Frost was not finding this funny. He knew that neither of them were with him. If they got lost, they wouldn't be laughing, however, because of the big day he had ahead of him, he paid no mind to it. Instead he groaned, trying to stay focused and decided to eat a little more food for an extra energy boost. He ate a few more eggs and then headed out with Cyndaquil on his shoulder. When he arrived, there were already a small group of trainers heading in.

As he approached the front door, he gave Cyndaquil a look. "Cyndaquil, this is going to be out first battle, and the first battle that we will have that counts. So you and Caterpie are going to have to try your very best, okay?" Cyndaquil nodded. "I'm not going to use Pidgey, so the fate of my first badge is in your hands," With that said, he took a gulp and opened the door. He put his foot in and continued on, and only stopped when he heard the door close behind him.

5


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

As Frost and Cyndaquil moved through the gym, he had quickly remembered what the professor had said. For in this large room, heavy metal was playing on the sound system. Fighting type Pokémon were out and about. Lifting weights, doing chin ups. Trainers were punching their Pokémon, and Pokémon were punching their trainers. Frost even saw a Machamp playing pool with a Hitmonchan and a Lucario.

Never before had Frost seen anything more bizarre. He had no idea who the gym leader was or what he or she looked like. He walked up to a tall and muscular man who was arm wrestling a Mankey, and surprisingly winning. "Excuse me sir, can you direct me to the gym leader?" He tapped him on his shoulder. Mankey let go of his arm and both of them turned to look at Frost.

"You're looking for Kane, he's over there with Primape," He pointed to a Primape that was doing push-ups with a relatively small man in comparison to the ripped and muscular members of the gym. Frost walked up to him.

"Excuse me sir, are by any chance Mr. Kane, the gym leader?" Frost eyed the Primape, who stood up and sneered. Kane, got up and rubbed the sweat off of his forehead.

"Yeah, that's me, why?" Kane looked at Cyndaquil then back to Frost.

"I, am a Pokémon trainer, and I was wondering if I could battle you for a chance to win the badge," Frost showed Kane his Pokédex.

"Alright, follow me to the field," Kane escorted Frost to the battle field in the back. The field was very large with rocks scattered across it. "This is where we can battle. We will each use two Pokémon each, with no substitutions. If you win I will give you the Sinew Badge, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it, so let's do this!" Frost steppe on one side of the field, Kane took the other. A muscular man came in and appointed himself as the referee. First, Kane took out a Pokéball and threw it. Hitmonlee emerged and took a stance. Frost threw out his Caterpie. Kane did not say anything and waited for Frost to make the first move.

Frost looked at his Pokédex for information on Hitmonlee, it read:

 _Hitmonlee: The Kicking Fiend. Hitmonlee has spring like legs that stretch further and further as a result of continuous kicking._

Frost knew that while Caterpie was smaller, it was a bug, therefore the type advantage was on his side. He also knew that Hitmonlee were so dependent on their feet, that Caterpies string shot attack would make quick work of it.

"Caterpie, use string shot!" Frost commanded, Caterpie unloaded her webbing onto Hitmonlee who did not seem too bothered by it, instead broke free and circled around her. Kane looked impressed at her spirit, but it did not help any.

"Hitmonlee, counter with double kick!" Hitmonlee leaped at Caterpie and launched her into the air with his feet. Caterpie did not have the strength to endure much more, but she had the speed to avoid it. Hitmonlee came at her with the second kick, but Caterpie rolled out of the way just in time.

"Caterpie, use your string shot attack!" Frost screamed, Caterpie spun her webs and encased Hitmonlees legs in a thick blanket of webbing. As Hitmonlee struggled, he lost his balance and fell. Without the ability to kick, Hitmonlee could not fight. Caterpie was hopping up and down in joy as the referee blew his whistle.

"Hitmonlee is unable to battle, Caterpie is the winner!" The referee the set his whistle down and waited for the second mach. Frost could not believe his luck, and was joyous at the news of his triumph.

Kane, chuckled, he was as surprised as Frost was that his Caterpie won, but the battle wasn't over yet. He recalled Hitmonlee and grabbed another ball. Inside was Kanes Toxicroak. Frost once again checked the Pokédex for information:

 _Toxicroak: The Toxic Mouth Pokémon and the evolved form of Croagunk. The poison produced in its sacks is carried through tubes in its arms to its knuckles and claws._

Frost wanted to be sure that the poison would not reach Cyndaquil and wanted to make sure to only use long range attacks. "Cyndaquil, you ready to go?" Cyndaquil nodded and leaped forward ready to fight.

"Toxicroak, use sucker punch!" With that order, Toxicroak swung at Cyndaquil left and right repeatedly, and just barely missing. One swing however, hit Cyndaquil and he flew back. Cyndaquil took a deep breath and got back up.

"Cyndaquil, use your smokescreen now!" Cyndaquil spat a thick ball of smoke on to the field. Toxicroak slowly backed away from it, anticipating Cyndaquil inevitable surprise attack. Cyndaquil, as Toxicroak had guessed, came at him from behind, but Toxicroak was ready, and gave him a doozy of a poison jab.

Cyndaquil fell down, and for a moment did not move. Frost began to worry, but Cyndaquil got up, he was determined to win. "Toxicroak, hit him with another poison jab!" Toxicroak began to swing at Cyndaquil again, who was just barely avoiding contact. Frost knew he was in trouble and had to think of something quick.

"Cyndaquil, use your ember attack now!" Cyndaquil spat a large beam of ice directly at the attacking Pokémon, and its legs were frozen solid. Kane was in a complete state of shock, he had seen many things in his life, but nothing quite like an ice type fire Pokémon. Toxicroak could not move fast enough, and Cyndaquil hit it again with a quick attack.

Toxicroak was getting dizzy, and Frost and Kane knew it. "Cyndaquil finish him with your tackle attack!" Cyndaquil took a charge and rammed into Toxicroaks chest, knocking over and unconscious! The referee blew his whistle.

"Toxicroak is unable to battle, the victor is Frost," Frost and Cyndaquil cheered at their accomplishment, the first big step in a large world. Kane withdrew Toxicroak back into his Pokéball. He then approached Frost and reached into his sweatpants pocket. He pulled out a roundish pink looking badge that resembled muscle and handed it to the victor.

"This is the Sinew Badge, you've earned it." Frost took it and examined it, "You seem prepared, I trust you are ready for the challenges that lie ahead," Kane and Frost headed outside where Megan and Clefairy were waiting. Both of them gave Frost a hearty congratulation on his first victory.

"Can I get you guys some lunch?" Kane asked politely, both of them agreed, and they went to a place called "The Blazigrill" an obvious nod to the Pokémon Blaziken, and the food was very palatable. Frost had helped himself to a delicious cheese burger and a soda, Megan stuck to a Chicken Caesar Salad. Kane had two orders of ribs and an order of chicken wings.

For the first time in a while, and certainly the first time in front of Megan, Frost took off his mask. Underneath, was a simple face, well rounded and a small nose. His blonde hair was in a mop top hair style, and was rather long. Megan was taken back, as she was expecting a sort of pimply faced geek of sorts, but there were more important topics of discussion that was in need of a thorough disquisition

"So Frost, tell me about the battle," Megan asked as she spoon fed Clefairy some chicken bits.

"Well, Kanes Hitmonlee proved to be a dangerous adversary, as did his Toxicroak, but Cyndaquil and Caterpie pulled through,"

"You didn't use Pidgey? Flying type Pokémon have a distinct advantage against fighting types," Megan mentioned, even though she knew Pidgeys sentiments towards him.

"A Pidgey eh? They become quite a force to be reckoned with when they evolve," Kane told him, Pidgeottos and Pidgeots were one of the most popular bird Pokémon among the trainer community.

"Well Kane, the thing is, Pidgey does not see me as being a worthy trainer. Truth be told, I'm beginning to think that myself," Frost said glumly, looking at his plate. He was upset at this minor bump in the road, and did not enjoy bringing that topic up.

"Frost, training a Pokémon, even one as docile as a common Pidgey, is no easy task. I did not get my Pokémon to be as obedient as they are now by letting them control me." Kane set his plate aside. "Love and kindness is important, but do not be afraid to show her that you are in control,"

Frost looked at the Pokéball in his bag. Pidgeys ball and thought that maybe layer today, he could give her a chance at redemption. "I suppose I could give discipline a shot, after all, what harm could it do?" Frost shrugged.

When they were heading back to the center, Kane suggested they keep in touch, and returned to his gym. Frost and Megan were surprised to see Professor Maillak there, and with him, a monk. Sage Guilette to be sure, Frost admired her for her everlasting wisdom and charming personality. She was with the professor, discussing what Frost could only guess was important business. He could see that Professor Maillak was distressed about something, and wanted the monks involved in a hurry.

"Good day, my young friend," Guilette greeted him. "Master Hu will be pleased to hear how far you have come, how have you been?"

"I have been alright," Frost bowed. "I have acquired my first gym badge, and have a total of three Pokémon," Sage Guilette was pleased to hear this. She and Frost had their goodbyes.

"Professor, I will deliver your message to the council as soon as I return," She ensured him. She bowed and went out the door. Professor Maillak then approached the children.

"Well, it's good to see you again, how are you?" Professor Maillak had been in town to discuss with Nurse Joy and her team some important business. Frost began to tell him about his adventures and such. Maillak had intentions to listen, but he deemed his business in Terreburg as being his most vital priority.

"I'm sorry to have bothered you Professor, "Frost apologized, not having the intentions of wasting his time.

"Have no fear. For I take Pokémon training very seriously. I apologize as well, having come off quite rude," Professor Maillak and Frost shook hands and the professor went about his business.

Later that day, Frost and Megan finished packing and took a good look at the map. "It looks like the closest city is Camwell. Just on the other side of the Dulshtek Mountains. We can take the Bernbell Trail; it leads straight through." Megan took note of the trail and they headed out.

The Dulshtek Mountains lay only a few miles away, and Camwell lay just beyond that. Bernbells track was designed to slither through the caves, right through to the other side. Pokémon trainers and travelers were not very common on that trail as its design and path were made the way they were in order to avoid the Pokémon that made the mountains their home.

Frost and Cyndaquil took a deep breath and started on their journey. After about a half hour, they had reached and passed the city limits. As they approached the mountains, they grew larger and larger. Megan was feeling a bit intimidated, but Frost was not afraid. His only concern was getting lost. They approached the pass, and Clefairy curled up in Megans arms.

"Is this the right trail?" Frost asked.

"Let me see," Megan set Clefairy down who hid behind her legs. "Uh, yes, that's the one," She put the map back in her bag, and they went on the trail. Bernbells path wrapped around the slopes of the mountains like how a Boa Constrictor traps its prey. As they continued through the winding trail, Megan began to feel sick. She drank some water and conserved her breath.

She was not used to passing by an open path with no railing or barriers of any kind, and look down into the foggy chasm below. She was not afraid of heights per se, but she had a hard time adjusting to it. They came to a trail, and had a hard time deciding which path to take. Megan and Clefairy were pushing towards the right path, Frost wanted to take the right. Part of the problem was that either path led deeper into the mountains.

"How shall we know which path will lead us out? Check the map," Frost stopped to take a breather. Megan pulled out the map and took a good look. On the map, there were multiple areas with more than one trail. So the map was of little use. Frost then had an idea, "Pidgey, come on out," Pidgey came out of her ball.

"Pidgey, I want you to fly up and show us the correct path, got it?" Frost pointed to the sky, but Pidgey just stood there and ignored him. Now Frost was angry, and thought that perhaps it was time he took Kanes advice and tried discipline "Pidgey, I am your master and you will follow my orders!" Frost had never raised his voice before, and it frightened him at first.

Afterwards, he felt empowered, and Pidgey was taken back by his force. In spite of her pride and pig headed behavior, she obeyed and flew up. Frost was surprised that she obeyed. Pidgey signaled to them from up in the sky to take the left trail, and that's what they did. Their path had given them a great view of the land far beneath them. As they moved through the rock and dirt, they began to feel the temperature drop lower and lower.

"Frost, we should have brought coats," Megan shivered, Clefairy was hiding inside of her backpack.

"I know, maybe we should go back," Both children were struggling to move as the layers of snow began to pile on the further up the mountain they moved. Soon enough, the snow was up to their knees, and almost too thick to move through. Cyndaquil of course, felt right at home.

Eventually they found shelter at a small cave. It was shelter from the cold, and was even comparatively warm. They walked in and took a rest. Because of the width and length of the cave, both were able to lay down and get a good rest in. Clefairy climbed out of the bag and saw that the cave went back a few feet, and found it was actually a tunnel.

She began to wander further back and almost completely disappeared in the dark, Cyndaquil followed her, and the two of them found a wide opening. Both Pokémon suspected that these tunnels were carved by a Geodude or an Onix. After a few moments had passed, they found themselves at an exit.

They quickly scampered back to Frost and Megan and awoke them. "Clefairy, Cyndaquil where have you been?" Megan asked sternly. She knew that Clefairy liked to wander off and explore, but she tried her best to keep her near at all times. Clefairy and Cyndaquil led them through the winding tunnel, and eventually out to the other side.

Down here it was warmer and best of all, no snow. "Good job Clefairy!" Megan congratulated and hugged her. "You still need to stay by me, though," She reminded. "Its dangerous out here in the wild.' Clefairy knew she was right; it was in the wild that Clefairy was saved by Megan. A few years ago, Clefairy was wandering through the field by Aliroude Town. She was playing in the field when she was separated from her friends by a rouge Pokémon. Children playing in the field were stupefied by Raikou, of all Pokémon, wandering. It chased her, and tried to get a meal. Megan was in the field and saved her. She battled the lightning beast with her Pokémon at the time, Grovyle.

Grovyle unfortunately, did not live to see the end of the battle, but Clefairy was saved and stayed with her. Now, she continues to grow with Megan as a sign of gratitude and friendship. Together, they train to be a Pokémon performer. From the trail they were currently on, they could see the borders of Camwell City to the West. They thought they could make it, but the sun was setting. So they set up camp back in the cave and waited till sunrise.

Now, concerning the business that Sage Guilette, she was in Terreburg because of a distress call that Professor Maillak made. He believed his news would benefit from the monks' attention. She returned to the Eribek Mountains and informed Master Hu, her good friend and ally, of the information. So he called upon a meeting of the high monks. Together they gathered in the high temple to discuss the impending situation.

5


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

In the great temple, the monks gathered at a large round cobblestone table in the middle of the room. Each of the nine monks, were all of the wisest and powerful in the world. At the head of the table, Master Qui-Lei was in a state total confusion, he had been doing business away south, and got a distress message from Master Hu.

Together, the monks waited patiently for Master Hus arrival. "What could this possibly be about?" Master Qui-Lei asked, he was not in the mood for games.

"We know not why Master Hu has summoned us, but it must be important," Master Froille stated. His voice and opinion were honored and respected by all the monks. Even Master Qui-Lei payed homage to him from time to time.

"This is a waste of time, there are better things we all could be doing right now," Master LeRouche stated. Among the great monks, she was considered the strongest willed, and was not very fond of games. After a few minutes of complaining and arguing, Master Hu finally arrived.

"Thank you for coming, my friends. I have just received news from Sage Guilette, that is of the upmost importance," Master Hu sat down at the table.

"Master Hu, why have you summoned us here?" Master Lei asked. Each monk wanted an explanation. "The boy has long been on your mind; do you wish his return? Or is there something else that troubles you?"

Master Hu took a deep breath, "There is trouble brewing to the North, something we should have seen," As the monks listened, they could see the distress and fear in his eyes.

"Tell us then, we all wish to know," Master Lei said. By now, the others were growing impatient.

"Something has gone awry within the borders of Selthwood. Nothing good grows in it, the forest is sick. Woodsmen who live there have fled, fearing for their very souls," Master Hu began.

"So you have come to tell us tales of a simple forest?" Mater Lei questioned. He himself had been near Selthwood at the time of Master Hus summoning, and had in no way encountered any "sickness" as Master Hu had put it.

"Please Master, let me explain, the woodsman who used to live there, well they say," Master Hu began to hesitate, he knew that the news he had to share would not sit well with them. "They speak of a Zetigrah, residing in the Whaltist Farm house, we must act quickly if we hope to stop it," Master Hu took a deep breath and waited for their responses.

Master Qui-Lei looked at him intensely and pondered. After a moment or two, he spoke. "Master Hu, you and I both know that those…vile savages, have been extinct for two millennia. How could one have possibly survived?" Master Lei pulled out a long wooden pipe and began to smoke.

"Master Lei, I am very much aware of their deplorable history, but one has managed to find a way back into our civilized world," Master Hu began to explain. "Does it not worry you, that of all thirty-four Legendary Pokémon, only nine are in our possession? As you three of them were set loose to wander the Earth at will,"

"We are aware of the beasts from Johto, and the fire and all that, hardly reason to panic." Master Lei stated confidently.

"Five were captured by trainers and collectors," Hu pitched in.

"They will be of no value to them when they are freed," Lei also commented. "These people were lucky beyond any sensible doubt,"

"Eight of them are only speculated to exist, there is no physical evidence to support them." Master Hu remarked, "Yet you do not reject them,"

"My friend, you know as well as I that these creatures do in fact exist. Those who reject faith, are not fit to live. Arceus, Giritina, Palkia, we love and respect them, even though we cannot see them. Dialga, Cresselia, Regigigas, these creatures, are more than just physical beings, we look up to them for their wisdom. Only a Zetigrah itself would defy their truths,"

"Yes, that is what I mean, the nine that once belonged to them, their fates remain unknown," Master Hu pleaded, hoping that they would listen. However, to no avail, they did not.

Master Lei did not seem at all worried, "What difference do those Pokémon make to us? Master Hu, there is little reason for panic," Master Lei argued. "We have watched over the land, generation upon generation. Our enemy could never return," Master Hu sighed, knowing that this was not sufficient evidence.

"Master Hu," Master Froille explained, "have you any physical proof to show off their recompense?"

"I have none," He admitted.

"Because there is none," Master LeRouche accused, "We must examine what we know, a few Pokémon have mysteriously evanesced, a forest is going through a small complication, this "Zetigrah", is nothing more than a Pokémon Trainer, a simple fool, using what I could suppose are dark or ghost type Pokémon,"

"Our history is not so easily forgotten, as much as we all would like to," Master Froille stated, "But we do not take stories of our enemy lightly,"

Always looking for trouble when none can be found," Master Lei said, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke. "Why do you insist on troubling us when we have other business to attend to elsewhere?"

"Master, I apologize, but when I hear that name, nothing but fear runs through me, I do not want their crooked shadow to once again claim dominion over this Earth," Master Hu sighed deeply.

"My friend, you are forgiven, I admire your imagination, but we are monks first. Our time on this good Earth is running short. We have no time to waste on silly stories,"

Master Hu could not believe what he was hearing, regardless of how they viewed the situation, something this grave and dangerous was usually taken a bit more seriously. Yet it seemed he was nothing more than a child telling stories. Master Lei sat there, looking at him in disappointment.

Still, among the more doubtful monks, they could see in his eyes, that Master Hu believed every word he had spoken. "Master Lei," Master Wiloux began, "How did you come about acquiring this information?"

"I told you that I was given a message by Sage Guillete, as you know she has an unimpeachable reputation," He noted, and he was right. Sage Guillete was not notorious for making mistakes of even the smallest possible multitude. "She may not have been there herself, but Professor George Maillak- "

"Professor Maillak?!" Master Lei interrupted. "He is a Pokémon professor, not a monk. Who is he to get involved in our affairs?" Master Lei was not pleased by his news at all and only got angrier. "He may be a skilled scientist, but we here believe in faith. Arceus will guide us, I will have no more of this Zetigrah nonsense. They are gone. Dead, extinct, liquidated, and done for." Master Hu looked at Lei in surprise.

Never before had he been so angry, but Hu had managed to make it so. After that, Master Hu left the room. Feeling humiliated, and just down right embarrassed, he left to go and be alone until he felt better. Never before had his opinions and judgment been so hastily disregarded. Never before had his voice accounted for nothing. Still, he wanted them to look into it.

Master Hu sat himself down and drank almost two quarts of mead. Drinking was not in his character, but something in him made his mind wander. He began to have thoughts about what a monk meant. What had happened to the wise and experienced monks of the past? Faith to Arceus and the other keepers of time and space was nothing short of an honor for a monk, belief that everything was under the control of a more powerful force then they.

Now, everything has changed, the values the monks had so cherished in the past were beginning to dwindle and fade away. He did not however, think that their anger and frustration was entirely unjustified. He knew he had little proof to support his claim, but that didn't mean that his news should go without further investigation.

As the day went on, he became less and less angry with them, aware that they are not the wisest monks by accident. So, to clear his mind, he began to think about Frost, wondering how far he had gotten, what kind of an adventure he was having or where he was heading to. Frost, had in fact been gone for almost two weeks by this point.

Being so far away from a friend he had known since he was a mere baby, was hard for the monk. In his past experiences, he had seen many friends come and go. Both either from death or leaving the world of the monks behind them. Sure enough, he began to wonder if Frost would do the same. Of course he would, people are not contractually obligated to stay with them once they arrive. Frost would have to eventually do the same. Besides, what good would come of him by staying within the walls of their mountains? None, or very little.

Frost, while all of the commotion was going on in the mountains, was in fact exercising with his Pokémon in the caves. Pidgey was of course, not responding. After a good long while of the discipline act suggested to him by Kane, Frost had given up. Caterpie was very progressive; after a while she was able to stand up against and even managed to scare away a rogue Anorith that had wandered too close to the camp.

Several other Pokémon paid a visit before Caterpie scared them off. Lileep, Geodude, Shieldon. All of them attacked, probably protecting their territory. One after another, Caterpie took them down. To Frosts surprise, she began to glow.

"Megan, what's happening to Caterpie?" Frost pointed to Caterpie, who had a bright white light emanating from her. Frost and Megan began to shield their eyes from the light, lest they go blind. Finally, after a moment or two, the light subsided. There, where Caterpie once stood, lay no less than a Metapod. Frost had been well aware up to this point that Pokémon evolved, but had never actually witnessed such an event occur.

Metapod remained still, out of its thick cocoon, were two eyes. No nose, nor mouth. After a brief update from the Pokédex, Frost had learned that in time, Butterfree would emerge. According to what he had heard, bug Pokémon like Caterpie or Wurmple take different amounts of time from bug to bug. Some may evolve in a week; some may take as long as three weeks.

"I can't believe it, this is incredible," Frost stood there and looked at Metapod for quite some time, before he called her back to her Pokéball, and they continued on their trek down the slopes of the mountains. Within a few hours they had reached the bottom. "That must be Camwell, looks like it will be a while," Frost examined the map, and judging by the vellum in his hand, he estimated a three mile walk.

Later that night, Megan was wide awake, listening to what sounded like a flock of Murkrow off in the distance, and wishing they had picked a less open place to set up camp. Clefairy, was not scared and began to wander off. Megan, who was always very protective of her, kept a close eye on her, making sure she would not get herself lost. As Clefairys voice began to fade, and she disappeared into the dark of the night, Megan began to worry, and then panic.

"Frost, Frost wake up, Clefairy has wandered off again," Megan pushed and shoved till Frost was standing.

"Where did she go?" He asked, yawning.

"She was here just a few minutes ago, but now I can't hear her, I can't see her. I hope nothing bad has befallen her," Megan was hyperventilating at this point, and the two ran off in search of the missing Pokémon. Through the dark fields to the base of the mountains, there was no sign of her.

Neither of the two could see very well, and with only the light of the stars to guide them, their situation did not look like it was going to improve any time soon. Still, they searched and searched for almost two hours. Megan searched the grasslands, while Frost went back up the slopes of the mountains.

Cyndaquil was trying to find Clefairys scent, but only found the scent of a small group of Rattata eating berries off of a plant. Megan was combing through the long grass before she bumped in to Clefairy, who was eating an apple with a small Linoone, and a Ralts. "Clefairy! Don't you ever wander off ever again, okay? You're lucky I found you before a predator did," Clefairy looked at her, knowing that she had made a mistake.

She looked at her new found friends, then back at Megan. Megan looked at them, and then began to think. She did have room for more Pokémon, and had plenty of Pokéballs to contain them. "What do you say, would you two like to come with us?" Both Linoone and Ralts hesitated, but they both agreed, and Megan encased them both in their own Pokéballs.

Before long, the sun was rising, Megan and her brand new friends were back at camp sleeping. Frost eventually came back, now more exhausted than ever. He fell flat on his face, desperate for some sleep. Megan however, woke up a few seconds later, and urged him to do the same. Of course Frost being a monk, was completely capable of containing and controlling his anger. Instead his face glow more red than a Magmorter, and all he said was; "Okay," and they were off.

"I have a Ralts and a Linoone, I may be a Pokémon master too," Megan was so happy that she was a collector too, and Clefairy was happy to have more friends to play with.

"I've never heard of either of them," Frost said. He pulled out his Pokédex, and looked up Ralts, it read:

 _Ralts, the Feeling Pokémon. Ralts can use the horns on its head to sense the emotions of humans. While not known to be very social, it may be attracted to feelings of joy and happiness._

 _Linoone, the Rushing Pokémon and the evolved form of Zigzagoon. Linoone can run up to sixty miles per hour, but is unable to turn._

"They sound pretty cool, that's weird that Linoone can't turn though," Frost said placing his Pokédex back in his pocket. As they approached Camwell, Cyndaquil began to get restless, ready for the chance to fight a gym leader and win Frost another badge. They entered the borders of the city, and immediately began to look for the Pokémon center.

While strolling down a street, Megan noticed a sign for a contest, and begged Frost to stop by. "Frost, please can we go? I know I could be eligible to compete," She and Clefairy were very excited.

"I'm not your boss Megan, you can do what you want," Frost said, confused as to why she thought she needed his permission. "Cyndaquil and I are going to find the center, we'll meet you in there in about an hour," He went off and Megan walked in to the building.

Inside, the lobby was quite large, several floors hovered above Megans head. She approached a young woman that was operating the front desk. "Excuse me, could you tell me where to go to sign up for the Pokémon contests?" She asked.

"There's a sign-up sheet down there in a large white box on the wall, can't miss it," She pointed, and Megan could see it.

"Thank you," She smiled and went off.

"Whatever" the woman grumbled.

Megan set Clefairy down, and pulled out Ralts and Linoone. "Are you three capable of entering a contest?" She asked, they all nodded. Megan pulled out her Pokédex and scanned each Pokémon to learn their moves:

 _Clefairys moves are, Metronome, Charm, Fury Swipes, and Leer._

 _Ralts' moves are, Psychic, Calm Mind, Double Team, and Magical Leaf._

 _Linoones move are, Sand Attack, Double Edge, Slash, and Head-butt._

Each move had its own level of cuteness and toughness. Megan knew with that variety, she and her Pokémon would have a pretty easy time. So she signed up with her Pokémon and submitted the sheet. She got a notification via her Pokédex saying that she will be notified if she had made it within the next twenty-four hours. So, in the mean time she went to find a mall to do some shopping.

Frost on the other hand, had managed to find a Pokémon center, and not least of all, the Camwell City Gym. He went inside to find the leader. Inside the gym, Frost could not see any people. On the walls were circuit breakers, and in the middle was a main frame. Frost could only assume that electric type Pokémon were used here. Still, he pressed on, looking for any sign of a gym leader.

He was just about to give up and come back later, until there was a loud crash sound coming from the back room. He and Cyndaquil snuck quietly up to it to investigate.

5


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

Through an open door way, Frost saw a young man struggling to reconnect power cords to a sort of machine. Frost guessed the machine was what helped keep the power from overcharging Cyndaquil looked around at the many cords and pipes weaving through the building.

"Excuse me sir, could you tell me where the gym leader is?" Frost asked. He must have startled the man, because he quickly turned around and shocked himself. At first, Frost was taken back by the man's physique, he had a red 'R' on his shoulder, and lots of cut and bruises. His voice however, was more appealing, and did not seem to fit his appearance.

"Grace? She's the gym leader here, but she's out. We've had problems with the gym. I'm afraid were closed for the time being," He apologized. He set down a sort of frequency monitor and shook Frosts hand.

"What's wrong? Why is the gym closed?" Frost asked impatiently. No gym has ever been closed before, and Frost was not about to forsake the Pokémon League.

"Well, not that it's any of your business, but someone has been tampering with our equipment. This generator here as you can see, absorbs the electricity emanated from the Pokémon, and uses it to power the mainframe," He pointed to the machine and walked out of the room.

"So this powers the gym?" Frost asked, still confused by the technician's technobabble.

"Actually, the mainframe brings power to over half the city, this place is more than a gym, it also acts as a power plant of sorts. Electricity is powerful as are Pokémon. Having and utilizing both is beneficial to all the people in Camwell," He pointed to the mainframe.

Within the walls, the rooms and halls were simply riddled with wires and cords and tubes. Frost had to be careful not to trip and accidently pull them out. He followed the technician out of the gym, and he locked the door. "I'm sorry you could not challenge the leader, but the gym is not safe to use for the mean time," He said.

"Have you any idea when Grace will return?" Frost looked at the technician, who checked his watch.

"Sometime tomorrow, after my co-workers and I repair this gym. Unfortunately, that may take some time. Before that can happen, I must notify the police of this. Perhaps they will up the security," With that, the technician was off. Frost stood there, and wondered why the gym was being targeted by vandals, as if there was something valuable inside.

Left standing there, Frost and Cyndaquil decided to pass the time and explore. He knew he didn't want to wind up in a similar incident to the one he had experienced in Terreburg. He and Cyndaquil wandered around town for a while, looking for something to do, before he remembered Megans contest. "Cyndaquil, we have to go see Megan compete, we promised," Cyndaquil nodded and climbed up on his shoulder and with that, they were off. Together, they stopped by a the Camwell Mall, which was famous in the region. Much like the Goldenrod City Mall, or the Celadon Department store, it was jam packed with shoppers.

On the first floor, they had trouble walking around, let alone find any nice stores to go to. As they went up the stairs to find the TM department. "Cyndaquil, would you like to learn a new move?" Cyndaquil shrugged, indifferent to Frosts proposal. Frost picked up a TM off the shelf and saw it was labeled Thunder Punch. According to his Pokédex, Cyndaquil was not compatible.

Of course they found moves he could use, such as Façade, Attract, and Swagger, but none of these piqued Cyndaquil interest, so they decided to not purchase any. Up they went through the crowded department stores from medicines and trainers' equipment, to foods and battle drugs, (prescriptions and over the counter if you wish to know.) People from all over the region would come to shop at this mall. Not that there was a lack of marts across the land, but this mall in particular, was much larger, and had more selections as a result.

After a few mindless hours of shopping for nothing, they decided to leave and get some lunch. Frost began to wonder what Megan was up to at this point. Well, while she and Clefairy were exploring the town as well. "Clefairy, do you think I will be accepted into the contest?" She looked down to Clefairy who was walking beside her. Clefairy nodded, not really interested in contests.

While the hour grew late, both children had very oddly not met up. However, they met up at the Pokémon Center at about eight o' clock. Megan was continuously checking her Pokédex waiting for the notification the secretary had told her about. Of course Frost, being a boy and all, could not get her girlish obsession with contests. He knew it was more manly to focus on the title of Pokémon Master.

"What kind of skills can you expect to obtain from entering a contest?" Frost asked. He then took a bite of some food that Nurse Joy had given them. Megan fed some to Ralts and Linoone. "Being a Pokémon Master has a lot more potential,"

"I don't have to be a Pokémon Master to enjoy working with Pokémon. Besides, you have our dreams and I have mine," Megan grunted, irritated by Frosts remarks. She however, decided to take the high road, and go back to playing with Clefairy. Cyndaquil was at that point, talking to Ralts and Linoone. Of course it was in their own Pokémon language, which is just their names.

Scientists have wondered why they say it repeatedly, and somehow communicate with different species. Very odd to say the least. Well whatever the reason or science behind it, they could communicate. The topic of their conversation however, remained unknown. As Frost and Megan could not speak their language they could only guess what they were saying. Perhaps they were discussing the intricacies of a Hydro Pump attack. Or maybe the commonalities between Seaking and Lumineon.

Later that night, they were fast asleep when Cyndaquil and Clefairy got itchy feet and decided to explore. With Ralts and Linoone joining them, they set out to enjoy the night. Linoone was smelling around the yard in front of the center for something. Ralts went to smell for it too. They found nothing, but they forgot about it, and roamed the streets. They passed by a nightclub and were intrigued to go inside.

Immediately, they were bombarded with bright lights and loud music. Looking around they could see lots of people in a rainbow of dresses and tuxedos. Cyndaquil looked back at the window and saw a sign saying Pokémon welcome, but only could see a Gastrodon and a Vespiqueen dancing. As the rogue Pokémon went further in to the club, a burlesque dancer approached them and offered each of them a piece of streusel.

Something inside Cyndaquil told him not to eat it. His instincts told him to leave, but he ignored it and ate the streusel. Immediately a feeling of joy came over him and his friends. Ralts and Clefairy were dancing, and Linoone and Cyndaquil were sitting at the bar. A waitress passed by and offered them some more cakes, and they took it without question. After eating several, they became very dizzy and struggled to stand.

Clefairy and Ralts were eating it too. Swinging and jiving to the jazz bands tunes, the crowd was large and very loud. As they took a rest, they decided to say hi to the Vespiqueen and Gastrodon, but they were nowhere to be found. So instead they sat down with Cyndaquil and Linoone. Soon, another waitress offered them their special cakes, and they ate more and more.

As Cyndaquil took a bite, his instincts warned him to spit it out, but he did not know why. These cakes were delicious, they made him drowsy yes, but how could something so sweet be bad? Still, waitresses and waiters came by every few minutes or so to offer them more. Clefairy, Linoone and Ralts were eating them left and right. Clefairy began to feel sick, so one of the waitresses escorted her to the restroom.

Cyndaquil set the cake down and encouraged Ralts and Linoone to do the same. Still, they were offered the cakes left and right. Why did these people insist upon offering them the cakes? Not once did they offer it to the crowd. Slowly however, he began to feel nauseous and drowsy, as did Ralts and Linoone. Too tired to move, the Pokémon quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Frost woke up that night, not able to sleep very well. He looked around for Cyndaquil, but could not find him, so he grabbed his bag and went outside. Megan could use some sleep after all, he thought. She didn't need to worry. He pulled out Metapods Pokéball and called her out. "Metapod, I need your help," he said. "Cyndaquil and Clefairy are gone and I need your help to find them,"

Metapod couldn't move very well, but he knew Pidgey would be even less helpful. "Can you track their scent or something?" Metapod nodded and began to smell the air, he turned and pointed downtown. So Frost ran out after the missing Pokémon. Metapod led him down the streets right to the nightclub.

Frost stepped inside, and looked around for them. "Are you sure they came here?" He asked, Metapod nodded and the two began to search. One of the many waitresses offered Metapod a cake, Frost declined, and the waitress went off. She said something to another waiter and they both looked at Frost. Inside the club, there was no sign of any Pokémon. Metapod still insisted that they were in here very recently, their scent was still fresh. Frost trusted Metapods judgement and approached one of the waiters. "Excuse me sir, have you seen a Cyndaquil or a Clefairy?"

"Haven't seen them," He said, then went off to a backroom. Frost immediately began to sense that something was wrong. He had eyes on him the entire time, waiters, burlesque dancers, all staff. Metapod turned and pointed to a back room. Frost snuck in, not knowing staff members were right behind him. In complete contrast to the bright colors and music in the front, there was no light, no singing.

Frost could only guess it was a storage room. With further investigation, he heard noises coming from a closet. Inside, were cages with Pokémon. Vespiqueen, and Gastrodon. Elekid, and Carnivine to name a few. What were all these Pokémon doing in cages, in a night club? Frost looked through the cages and eventually came across Cyndaquil and the others.

"Cyndaquil, are you okay?" He asked. Cyndaquil was struggling to stand up, he had been drugged. Frost struggled to open the cages, eventually, he managed to free him and all of the others. "Okay, we need to get out of here, warn the police of what's happening," With the aid of over a dozen Pokémon at his back, they struggled to find a way out.

Before he could however, he bumped in to a waiter. "What do you think you are doing back here?" He asked sternly, keeping his eye on all of the Pokémon. "These Pokémon don't belong to you," Frost looked to the band of Pokémon behind him, then back to the waiter. "You had best get out of here, before you bite off more than you can chew," He warned.

"These Pokémon don't belong to you either, what do you want with them?" Frost demanded.

"My business here is no concern of yours, so get going, or there'll be trouble." He stood his ground, soon, two more waitresses came to help. "This is your last warning," Frost was cornered, he had no way to get out.

"You have guts kid, and that's admirable, tell you what, if you beat me in a battle, we'll let you go," He pulled out a Pokéball. Frost stepped forward, and Cyndaquil with him. "Zubat, let's go!" Zubat emerged from his ball and took flight. Cyndaquil stepped carefully, keeping his eye on the Zubat. "Zubat, use your supersonic attack!" He commanded. Zubat let out a pulsating shriek, and Cyndaquil began to feel dizzy.

"Cyndaquil, use your tackle attack," Cyndaquil looked at Frost, then back to Zubat. He took a step back and ran head on into the wall. Frost groaned, and the waiter laughed. Cyndaquil hurt himself in his confusion.

"Zubat, get him with a wing attack!" Zubat shot down and beat Cyndaquil wildly with its wings before retreating back again. Still dazed and confused, Cyndaquil was struggling to see where he was.

"Cyndaquil, you have to snap out of it!" Frost cried, he did not want to lose, let alone lose to a group of thugs. Cyndaquil was also still affected by the drugs put in those cakes, and he had downed quantities of it. Still, Cyndaquil tried his best to overcome the supersonic attack, and struggled to stay standing.

"Cyndaquil, you feeling alright?" He asked, Cyndaquil looked at him and nodded. "Good, then use your ember attack," Cyndaquil spat a patch of ice at the Zubat, and Zubat fell. The waiter and his gang were left completely stupefied. He recalled Zubat, and the other goons stepped forward. "You said I could go if I beat you," Frost said.

"I lied," The waiter smirked. Quickly, the waitresses grabbed him. They should have gone after the Pokémon instead, because a Vigoroth and a Roselia began whacking them. Eventually, all the Pokémon got involved. Clefairy began to wave her fingers in a clock like fashion, Frost had guessed she was using the move Metronome.

All the thugs could do was wait for something bad to happen, and it did. When Clefairy set her arms down, she opened her mouth. From inside her maw, a glowing light took shape. It grew and grew until a powerful beam was ejected from the mouth, laying waste to the storage room. With that, Frost and the other Pokémon ran for the exit.

Through the club, the dancer and patrons were screaming and running, while all of the bar tenders, waitresses, and cooks, were throwing Pokéballs left and right to try and stop them. Cyndaquil and the army of Pokémon behind him, put down enemy after enemy. Gulpin, Ekans, Trapinch, each one was quickly dealt with.

After they escaped the night club, Frost led the Pokémon back to the Pokémon center to hide. Nurse Joy was baffled that so many Pokémon came in. "Where did you find these Pokémon?" She asked.

"Listen" Frost panted, "We need to call the police, I was at a night club, and the workers were…drugging Pokémon, then storing them in cages," Frost pointed to the Pokémon behind him.

"I'll call the police immediately," She said, she picked up the phone and called. Soon enough, the police were around the night club, and went in to investigate. Officer Jenny took one of the Growlithe and investigated. Inside, the club looked absolutely unassuming and normal. In the back, Growlithe sniffed out several cages and bits of ice. She did not find any staff, she figured they must have cleared out.

"Thank you for the information, we will keep an eye out for any more suspicious activity," She stated, then got back in the car and returned to the station. Frost had returned to the center with Joy. The next morning, Megan was unaware of what had unfolded the night before. Nurse Joy had done a scan of each of the Pokémon and traced them to their original trainers, Ralts and Linoone were placed back into their Pokéballs.

"I wonder if I got my notification yet," Megan reached into her bag and checked her Pokédex. In the message system, she found a notification from the contest and she had in fact been accepted. Immediately she stood up and started to sing and dance. "I did it! I did it! I'm in!" Frost was pleased that she was admitted, but still could not see the use of contests, even though the Pokémon League is in and of itself, a contest.

Still, Megan was his friend, and he supported her. After all, she deserved some success too. After eating Breakfast, Frost and Megan were once again exploring the town. Frost was eager to see if the gym was re-opened and so they scurried over there a fast s they could. Megan had not yet been to this gym, and heard from Frost about the technical issues.

At the front door, there was a young beautiful woman. She was unlocking the door, and went in. Frost and Megan followed close behind as they stepped inside. "Excuse me," Frost called out. "Are you by any chance the gym leader of this uh, gym?" He asked. The woman looked at him and smiled.

"Yes, my name is Grace, nice to meet you. Uh, and you are?" She shook his hand.

"My name is Frost, I was wondering if I could battle you for a chance at the gym badge," He pulled out and showed her the Pokédex. "I came by yesterday, but you were not here, your technician said that there were problems with the system,"

Grace looked at him worried and confused. "My technician told you that?" She asked, Frost could tell she was worried about something.

"Is there a problem, he said you would be back tomorrow," Frost said, he hoped he had not offended her.

"Frost, my gym is operated by my Pokémon. I have no technician,"

5


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

Grace was in a state of consternation as she combed through the gym to see if anything had been damaged or stolen. Sure enough, the mainframe had been taken apart, several cords were ripped open, and several of the generators were destroyed. "Oh my," Grace sighed. "Whatever will I do? Frost, do you remember what the technician looked like?" She picked up some scare wires off of the floor.

"Well, he was young, maybe in his late twenties, he had a mustache, and looked like he was athletic," Frost said trying to remember. Grace called the police, who got there in a jiffy. Officer Jenny, and what looked like a couple of detectives, went through the gym to look for evidence.

In the power room, one of the detectives found a strand of brown hair. Megan had not been in the gym before, Frost had his mask, and Grace was blonde. Aside from that, there was very little to go off of. "Young man, you seem to be a bad news magnet," Officer Jenny laughed. "Ma'am, don't you worry. I'll have a couple cars placed around thee are for extra security," She bowed to them both and left.

Frost looked at Cyndaquil and then back to Grace. "Miss, I'm sorry about your gym," he said.

"Don't worry about it, it's not your fault. You had no way of knowing the man was a saboteur," She told him. Frost was sure that if his intuition had warned him that something was wrong, he would have put a stop to it. "I suppose that I had best start repairing the equipment,"

Grace called out her Pokémon, who were also distraught by the current state of the gym. "Frost, would you mind giving me a hand, I can't battle right now, but I would certainly appreciate it," Frost agreed and called out his Pokémon.

"Okay, Pidgey, can you help carry these cords to the back?" Pidgey stood there, and the called herself back into her own Pokéball! "A simple no would suffice," Frost grumbled.

"Well then, Electabuzz, Magnezone, and Electrode, you three are on mainframe duty, let's get to work!" Grace and her Pokémon began to put the machine back together, while Frost and Cyndaquil were helping Megan and Clefairy set the generators back, (or at least they tried to).

"Now, if we set up these cords in this particular order, we should have done it right, and now…we can activate this generator." Frost flipped the switch and it did nothing. "What on Earth is the matter?" He asked himself. Cyndaquil had no idea, neither did Megan.

"Perhaps we should ask Grace what to do," She humbly suggested.

"Megan, Megan, Megan. My dear friend, I am a Pokémon Master, I think that turning on a simple generator is well within the barriers of my vast capabilities," Frost smugly grinned. Pokémon Master indeed, Megan tried not to rain on his egotistical parade.

"Well, then by all means master, turn it on," She stood back to watch Frost do his magic. Frost looked at the various cords and wires, and then at the box itself. With a few minutes of thinking, he deduced the situation.

"Well, I could have old you this," He groaned, and took the cord from the back of the machine and put it into the wall. Then and there, the machine began to hum. All that was needed was to plug it in. Megan laughed, as did Cyndaquil.

"Okay, everything is working fine," Grace came in to see their progress and was impressed that the generator was running. "I would like to thank you both for your help, I…" Before Grace could finish, she was interrupted by a thud sound. She ran to see what had happened. There in the door way, were a pair of goons, dressed from head to foot in platinum silver suits with black gloves and black boots.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Grace demanded. Today was not a good day to catch her in a bad mood. Actually, she was never someone that you would want to anger, even on accident. She looked at the two. The woman stepped forward, and pulled out a gun.

"This gym is ours now, we are taking operational control, step aside." She ordered.

"You have no right to threaten me, are you the ones tampering with my equipment?" Grace stepped up into her face. "I can have you arrested for this," Her threats did not sway the woman from her goals. Even the man began to laugh.

"Prepare for trouble," The woman smiled.

"And make it double," The man stepped forward.

"To protect the world from devastation,"

"To unite all people within our nation,"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"

"To extend our reach to the stars above,"

"Talia,"

"Clayton, Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light,"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight,"

Grace, Frost and Megan were more confused and annoyed at their little performance than they were actually threatened.

"That is the most idiotic thing I've ever heard," Megan stated, and to be completely fair, she was right. "What is Team Rocket anyway, some kind of stupid secret cult?"

"You'll find out about us in due time little girl," Clayton chuckled. "For now, all you have to worry about right now, is whether or not you want to see tomorrow," Clayton clocked his gun and put it to her head. Megan was trying to see if he was bluffing, and tried to remain calm. Talia ordered him to lower his weapon. Frost looked at Clayton, and recognized him immediately.

"You! You're the technician, what good would destroying a gym be to you?" Frost eyed Clayton, who smiled.

"We needed some supplies, lots of machines to borrow," Clayton chuckled. "Unfortunately, our night club scheme was stopped, I hope for your sake, you stay out of our way,"

"Clayton, you go take what you can, I'll stay here and watch these twerps," Talia ordered. Clayton went through the back room and began pulling apart the power cords and stuffing them in a case.

"You have no right to destroy my gym, you had better leave or…" Grace began,

"Or what? You getting tough? I'm shivering," Talia chuckled, Clayton could be heard laughing in the room. He came out with several pieces of equipment. "You ready to go," Talia pulled out her gun again and they slowly made their way towards the exit. Before they could escape however, Graces Electabuzz shot a thunderbolt at them.

"What was that?!" Talia shrieked. She was dazed from the impact of course, and Rourke was having trouble moving altogether. Grace stepped forward and picked up the dropped weapon.

"Looks like you're the ones who are in trouble," She said. Electabuzz sneered, Frost and Megan joined them. "If you want to leave, then let's battle," Grace commanded.

"If that's what you think is best," Talia chuckled. "Go Zubat!" She threw a ball and Zubat emerged.

"Electabuzz, you're up!" Grace looked at her Pokémon who smiled deviously and stepped forward.

"Let's make this more interesting shall we?" Clayton suggested and threw a ball as well. Out came Beedrill, who spun about in the air.

"Fine, then come on out Metapod!" Frost called out Metapod, who stood there, not very threatening to say the least.

"Fine, I'll start things off, Zubat, use Wing Attack!" Talia ordered. Zubat dove down fast and hit Metapod with its wings. Metapod fell over, and struggled to get back up.

"Metapod be careful!" Frost shouted. "Use your String Shot attack!" Metapod rolled over and shot a thick barrage of webbing at Beedrill, it was not very effective.

"Beedrill, use your Twineedle attack!" Beedrill swooped down and hit Electabuzz with a barrage of strikes with its stingers. Electabuzz was for a moment at least pushed back, but Beedrills attack had done very little to harm him. Clayton looked worried, knowing Beedrill could not stop such a behemoth.

"Electabuzz, use Thunder Wave!" Grace bellowed. Electabuzz began to glow, and a small burst of static electricity sot out from his antenna, consuming Talias Zubat, and sending it plummeting towards the ground, unable to move. Talia recalled Zubat and put it away.

"Okay, our turn, Metapod go with a Tackle attack!" Frost pointed to Beedrill, and Metapod bounced off of Electabuzz and knocked Beedrill onto the floor. Beedrill got back up, but Frost and Grace could see it was getting tired. Clayton did not recall him however, even though he knew the battle was lost.

"Electabuzz, finish this, use your Thunder Bolt!" Electabuzz began to glow bright, so bright in fact that nobody could look at the light directly, lest they go blind. There was a strong pulse like sound, and eventually the light faded. Beedrill stood there, burnt to a crisp. Clayton recalled him, and stood there in defeat.

Within a few minutes, the Police had come and taken the crooks away. Grace was asked a few questions by the sheriff, but she had little information. "They said they were from a cult or something they called Team Rocket, I've never heard of them, and I suggest you keep your eyes out,"

Later that day, the gym was up and running like normal. Trainers began to swarm the gym once again. Frost and Megan were pleased that they could help, and were worried about their secret plans. Grace found them at the Pokémon center and payed them a visit.

"Frost, I want to thank you for all the help, so I want to give you this," She reached into her purse and pulled out a gym badge. "This is the Pylon badge, I think you've earned this," She handed it to Frost.

"But…why?" Frost asked," I didn't beat you, I didn't earn this," Frost looked at the badge, knowing he did not deserve it."

"This badge is given to trainers who defeat me yes, but it also is given to a trainer who shows courage, and sacrifice, and wisdom. You have displayed all those attributes today, even in a task as small as that," She gave frost the Pylon badge, and Frost took it.

He put it in his Pokédex next to his Sinew Badge, and admired his ever growing collection. "Well, thank you," With that, Grace made her way back to the gym. Frost had decided to pay one last visit to the gym. In the chaos, he had forgotten about Metapod. When he arrived, he found her sitting there, bored. Frost felt guilty and completely irresponsible for forgetting her.

"Metapod, I'm so sorry about this, please forgive me," Frost hugged her tightly. Metapod did not seem too distraught, instead she began to shake. Her hard shell began to crack. Frost began to panic. "Metapod? What's happening?" Metapod said nothing, his shell began to break apart. Soon, it shattered completely, and Frost soon realized that Butterfree had emerged from her cocoon. Frost began to jump up and down with joy. He had acquired his first fully evolved Pokémon.

That was not all however, near the front door, he could see another Pokéball. It must have belonged to those Team Rocket goons. He released the Pokémon inside. It was the Zubat that had belonged to Talia. Zubat looked puzzled, wondering where his former master was. Frost debated whether or not to release it.

"Hey, remember me?" Frost asked him. Zubat looked him up and down, then nodded. "Well, you're uh, trainer, is gone. I don't think she'll be coming back for you; how would you like to join us?" Frost looked to Cyndaquil and Butterfree. Whom looked eager to have a new friend, Pidgey after all, was not a friendly Pokémon.

Zubat was reluctant at first, but in time, he agreed. Frost called him back into the Pokéball, and did the same with Butterfree. When he met back up with Megan, he was ready to leave. Megan was super excited about something, and Frost had an inkling of what it was. "Frost, guess what? I just got my notification from the contest judges, I've been allowed an audition, its tomorrow!" She was so happy, and Clefairy was happy too.

Finally, things began to look up for Megan. She had at last received a chance to do something exciting. Of course she still wanted to explore the world with Frost, but she had her own dreams and agenda to attend to as well.

"Wow, that's great," Frost complemented. "I was confident in your ability to succeed,"

"You don't sound happy," Megan noted, "I thought you'd be more pleased at my accomplishment,"

"This is your dream; I don't need to be happy. You should b happy, because this is something you want to do," Frost layer down on the bed. "Just because I'm not particularly intrigued by the idea of contests doesn't mean I don't care about you," Frost yawned.

"You care about me?" Megan blushed.

"Not quite that much," Frost stated firmly. Truth be told, he did like Megan a bit. Not quite a crush per say, but certainly a hint of affection. Still, he had more important things to worry about than romance. Megan was beginning to feel affectionate towards Frost. She realized that she was a teenager, the average relationship within her age group lasted five to ten minutes at best. She put it out of her head and went to sleep.

The next morning, Nurse Joy was healing up a wounded Bidoof when Frost approached her. "Excuse me Nurse, when you get a minute could I ask you for your assistance?" Frost asked. Nurse Joy injected a needle into the Pokémon, and it quickly went under.

"Why of course I can, what's the problem?" She asked as she set Bidoof down to rest.

"Nothing's the matter, I just had a few questions about my Pokémon," Cyndaquil climbed up on his shoulder. "Cyndaquil to be sure miss," Cyndaquil hopped on the counter.

"What would you like me to help you with then?" Joy asked, from a visual standpoint Cyndaquil seemed to be in perfect condition.

"Well, I wanted to ask Professor Maillak, but it slipped my mind, and I thought if anyone could help, it's you, Cyndaquil, do your thing," With that, Cyndaquil lit up his back, his purple and black flames took Nurse Joy by surprise. Cyndaquil spat a patch of ice onto the floor.

"My goodness, that is quite a starling conundrum," Nurse Joy managed to say after a few moments. "I suppose, I could do a blood test, maybe some diagnostics," She assessed. "It will take some time, I've never handled something quite like this before,"

Nurse Joy took Cyndaquil to a back room, and extracted blood from him. She analyzed the blood cells and found something interesting. Frost could not tell what it was, but she examined blood samples from other Pokémon, and called up Professor Maillak in a hurry. "Professor, you have to see this, I found something very interesting," She sent a chart with the acquired information on it.

Within a few hours, Nurse Joy came out and set Cyndaquil down. "Frost, there is nothing wrong with Cyndaquil, I can't explain it, but his genes are unique, like he was designed this way, this is a one of a kind Cyndaquil, and a one of a kind Pokémon in general," Frost was confused.

"What do you mean? Was this an accident?" Frost was puzzled, and rightly so.

"Not quite, your Pokémon is unique. He is an anomaly, to put it bluntly, his DNA is unlike fire Pokémon, ice is in his blood," Nurse Joy did not know how to explain it, Cyndaquil could possibly be the first of a new breed of Pokémon, or maybe the last. Still, Frost was happy his question had been at least somewhat answered and thanked Nurse Joy for taking the time out of her busy day.

At about noon, Frost and Megan went to the big stadium where the auditions were being held. Frost had given Megan his word he would support her, and he intended to keep it. While Frost and his Pokémon took their seats, Megan was back stage, waiting for her name to be called, hoping to impress the judges. Even though she did not have a plan, she had faith in her Pokémon to succeed, or at the very least, be the best that they could be.

5


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

Frost and his Pokémon were waiting for the contest to begin. Within the auditorium, Frost could not count how many people were in there with him. Hundreds or maybe even thousands he guessed. One of them, much to his surprise, was John. That same kid who he met in Maillaks lab.

What could he be doing here? Did he have the Pylon Badge yet? It didn't matter to Frost, but he did want to know what kind of itinerary did he have planned? What kind of stratagem was up his sleeve? To throw him off? Still, Frost had to keep focused on his own goals, he would worry about John later.

As much as he tried, he couldn't ignore him. He decided to advance and say hello. "Hey, what's up?" He asked.

"How's it going?" John replied, Frost could tell he was uninterested in starting a conversation with him.

"I'm okay, Cyndaquil and I are here to see my friend Megan in the contest," Frost smiled, he really didn't mean it, but he tried is best to be nice. John of course was not trying.

"Cool, I'm here to broaden the horizon of my perception of the world around me, not to be nice," John chuckled, then turned back around to watch the show. Frost could not believe this guy. He was a total jerk. Frost knew he couldn't and shouldn't let his pompous disposition get to him, but Johns pompous attitude was still seeping into his introspection.

His concentration was severed however, when the contestants were brought out on stage. Megan was standing among eight other people, both young and old. Everyone in the audience was cheering and clapping and whistling. One of the judges, Alvin Cartell, who happened to be another Pokémon professor from the region. He was in fact asked to appear as a judge for this contest.

Cheryl Williston was the first to perform. She called out her Ambipom, and the judges and audiences waited to see what she could pull off.

"Ambipom, let's give them a Double Team!" She cried. Ambipom stepped up. As the audience waited in anticipation, all they could see was the Ambipom grunting, before it split into a whole armada of Ambipom. At least twelve of them were on the stage where one had been standing just moments ago. This of course pleased the crowd and they clapped and applauded and so forth.

Still, Cheryl was not yet finished. "Now Ambipom, let's hit them with a Hyper beam!" Each Ambipom on the stage, real or otherwise, opened their maw and released a powerful beam of pure concentrated energy. Each beam met in the middle and collided. Of course only one was real, so an over charge was highly improbable. This put the audience and the judges on a roar. Cheryl then recalled her Pokémon, and went back behind stage.

Next up was Paul Erlich, he drew out his prized Charizard. Afterwards was Stephen Lillie, then Tanya Posadskya, then Alfred Stone. One after another, the audience was hyped up. Finally, the last person to perform, Megan was up. "You ready Clefairy?" She looked down at the pink Pokémon. Clefairy nodded and smiled. By now, she was as excited as Megan was. She stepped up and the audience was clapping. She looked at the judges, who looked at their watches. Megan could see that they wanted to go home.

Megan scanned the room and saw Frost and Cyndaquil, she smiled and looked down upon Clefairy. "Clefairy! You're up, use Metronome!" Clefairy raised her arms, and began waving them back and forth in a clock like manner. Megan was trying to hide her fear. Metronome was a high risk move. Clefairy could use a move as amazing as Judgement, or she could use a move like Growl. Back and forth her arms swayed, then finally, she lowered them.

Everyone in the audience was waiting to see what would happen. Clefairy began hopping up and down. Clefairy had used Splash. Splash, of all moves is the single most embarrassing and pathetic of all Pokémon moves. Megan was the only one inn that room that was not laughing uncontrollably. Even the judges knew that Clefairy had embarrassed herself. Still, Clefairy did not give up.

Once again, Clefairy waved her arms in a hypnotic fashion. Megan begged and pleaded and cried to herself to really knock the socks off of everybody. Clefairy lowered her arms, and waited. Megan stood there, her anxiety increased a hundred fold, and Clefairy, opened her mouth. From within her jaws, emerged a bright and powerful Flame Thrower attack. Megan had to jump out of the way so she wouldn't be incinerated.

This got the audience excited. However, the judges were still not that impressed. Megan had been a relatively low score. Megan slunk back behind the stage in disappointment. Clefairy followed her humiliated and ashamed, as she should be of course. Megan said nothing to her, and Clefairy kept quiet as well. Despite Megans confidence in her, Clefairy had not prevailed.

Frost and Cyndaquil were very disappointed too. They were hoping to see Megan win. Frost could hear John laughing. Frost knew he had to put a stop to it. "Hey John, shut up! As if you would fare any better,"

John turned around irritated. "I bet I could, after all, I'm the best Pokémon trainer here," He smiled John was pretty arrogant, that much was certain, but overconfidence makes you careless, and Frost knew it.

"You think you're so great, there are hundreds upon thousands of trainers better than you," Frost claimed. John stood up, almost threatened by Frosts statement, but something in Frost told him that John was more than what he seemed. Something about him had Frost wondering what he was up too. "If you're so fantastic, battle me," Frost stated.

John smirked. He knew what he was doing, and Frost was catching on, just in the wrong direction. "Fine, meet me by the Pokémon center in two hours, I'll be waiting," With that, John left the room.

Frost met up with Megan afterwards. Frost saw Megan sitting down, she looked like she was trying not to cry. "Megan? Megan, you okay?" Frost asked. Megan coughed, and turned to look at him.

"Yeah, Frost, I'm fine," She smiled, trying to be strong. "Let's just go," Together, they returned to the Pokémon Center and got some lunch. Nurse Joy approached Frost and said she had information for him.

"Frost, John wishes me to notify you, that he will be late for your battle together," She apologized. Frost began to laugh. John had chickened out it would seem; Frost knew John was in over his head. "He hopes you understand," This made Frost laugh even harder. All of his talk and self-praising, only to cower away.

"I knew he would cry quits, he's too big of a coward to challenge me," Frost boasted.

"He said he would be late, not that he abdicates," Nurse Joy groaned. It would seem that all Pokémon trainers ran the risk of being pompous, especially after a "victory" such as Frosts. She said nothing, but have him an empty smile, then returned to her work. She was helping Chansey heal a sick Jigglypuff, apparently she had been poisoned by something big. Nurse Joy was hard at work formulating an antidote.

Now of course, I'm sure I have confused you, Nurse Joy was in Terreburg and Camwell also? How can that be? Well, I suppose I should tell you. Nurse Joy, or Joy I suppose, was a member of the Joy family. That being said, there are many Joys scattered across the region. Many just think of it as a coincidence, but others find it suspicious that so many people, not just one or two, could look, act, and sound exactly the same. Some sort of genetic cloning, would be their guess, as is mine.

Your guess is as good as mine. However, Nurse Joy is not the focus of the story, so…oh dear me I've forgotten where I was…oh yes of course, Megan and Clefairy were still upset about their poor performance. Frost tried his best to be supportive, but Megan knew she was of little importance to him. She did not mind though, well, she wouldn't lose sleep over it. She did not want to be babied and treated like a fool. She simply wished for a bit of sympathy, then to get right back up and try again.

Clefairy and Cyndaquil spent the remainder of the day outside enjoying the fresh air. As the sun set, the purple sky mixed ever so perfectly with the green of the trees. All of the Pokémon were having a good time, even Pidgey, who was flying around an eating scarce worms she found in the Earth. Frost was inside packing when he came across the Pokéball dropped by that woman Talia. He pondered her and the other for quite some time before Megan came in.

"Hey Megan," Frost said.

"What is it?" She asked, she was getting ready to go to bed and was collecting her Pokéballs to retrieve her friends.

"Here, I want you to have this," Frost handed her the Pokéball.

"What's this?" She asked examining it. She opened it and Zubat emerged. "A Zubat? Why are you giving me this?" She asked. Zubats were not her favorite Pokémon, nor were they looked upon with reverence among the trainer community to be sure. Still, a gift was not something she had a deep desire to reject, and accepted it. Her party was growing fast, as were her chances of succeeding in future contests. She hugged Frost, much to his displeasure. Secretly of course, he was very fond of her. However, love was not on his agenda. There were far more pressing matters he had needed to attend to.

He had so far collected two badges, the Sinew and Pylon badges. After nearly three months of travelling, he began to feel weary of trekking across the landscape. Two down and six to go before he could enter the championships. He examined his map of Santem. According to it, the nearest city was Tougargh. However, the Dulshtin Mountains lay between him and the next Pokémon Gym.

Frost hypothesized that it would be about two days to reach the mountains, and another six or seven before they reached Tougargh City on the other side. Now, reaching the end of Summer and the beginning of Fall, traveling North to avoid the snow would be in everybody's best interest. Even in the Eribek Mountains where Frost grew up, the monks were not so kind towards the poor weather.

Time was of the essence; Frost knew the Pokémon League Championships would not stop their conjuncture for him. Frost did not know it, but the Monks had wanted to give him just enough time to collect eight badges for entry. Without dawdling, any given trainer could collect the badges required in less than a year depending on their mode of transportation. Most, and all choose to walk.

Very strange, considering that Santem is one of the largest regions where Pokémon reside. The other being Hoenn if you must know. Hoenn only beats Santem by a few miles at width, and less than a yard at length. Yes, to answer the very first question to pop into your head, someone was honestly bored enough to measure them. Anyway, Frost knew it would be a long road, so he packed extra food and supplies.

Frost was up late that night. He couldn't sleep no matter how hard he tried. Something about this whole thing bothered him. Since he set out on his journey, a man died and a group of thugs who called themselves Team Rocket had tried to take control of a city and his Pokémon. Something deep within his soul told him there was something at work beyond all of this. Something behind the scenes, puppeteering all of this for some grand scheme.

Frost was concerned that he and his friends were in danger. He knew Master Hu and the monks would take care of it, if they haven't already. He put it out of his mind, and tried to instead focus on falling asleep. He knew the Dulshtin Mountains were going to be highly problematic, and he needed his strength. Eventually, he did fall sleep. A deep sleep, one that he felt he had earned and deserved.

By sunrise, Megan was already awake. She had gotten dressed and had been fully packed. Clefairy and all of her Pokémon, including her new found Zubat, were getting one last look at the city before they moved on to the mountains. Linoone was having trouble turning, as is common among them. He was trying his best though, so he can't be blamed entirely. After all, its genetics, and those cannot be altered.

"Linoone, you don't have to turn you know," Megan giggled. "Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it someday," Linoone frowned, saddened by his very strange problem. Actually, this problem only occurs when running. Which means if he was in a battle and used an attack like Tackle for instance, he would need to run, hit the target, stop and turn around, and then continue to run.

Ralts was having a good time in contrast to her colleague. She was practicing a new attack she was trying to learn called Heal Pulse. Conjuring up the energy required a lot of focus, and Ralts was having trouble keeping her mind set on it. Megan hoped this new move would improve her chances of winning a contest. Clefairy tried her best, but experimenting with different Pokémon gives her an edge.

Frost and Cyndaquil joined them at about ten. Frost gave them the briefing of the best trails to take across the mountains. Neither wanted to go through another patch of mountains but going around would easily take three to four times as long. Cyndaquil was well aware that time was something they could no longer afford to waste, as did all of the other Pokémon. Before they departed, they ate a great breakfast.

Nurse Joy joined them, as she had news for Frost, and a request. "Excuse me Frost, could you do me a favor?" She asked politely.

"Sure, what do you need done?" Frost was busy stuffing his face with eggs and sausage and potatoes, and was having trouble pronouncing his words.

"Well, I have a friend in Tougargh named Mr. Rourke Benson, and I have a package to deliver. As fate would have it, I'm quite occupied with this sick Jigglypuff and I can't afford to go, would you deliver it for me?" She handed Frost an envelope.

"Of course, where may I find him when we arrive?" Frost was curious.

"He owns a building downtown, called KevaCorp. It is very important that he comes into possession of this. Do not lose it under any circumstances," She warned. "Don't worry about time, he has plenty," This relieved Frost a bit, he wasn't in a hurry, so he would not be troubled about getting it to him as fast as possible. After almost five helpings of food, Frost and Megan were worried about being sick, but they sucked it up and hoped they didn't throw up.

Cyndaquil hopped up on Frosts shoulder and they were heading out before they were stopped by someone. That someone, was John. Apparently he showed up after all. "You doing anything?" He asked smugly.

"No, I was waiting for you though, but apparently you chickened out," Frost laughed, John it would seem, was not amused.

"Well, I'm her now, so let's battle," John challenged him. Frost stepped up and agreed.

"I'm ready when you are," Frost glared at him. John smiled, he and Frost were aching to see what the other was capable of, and how experienced they were. Megan got Nurse Joy to let them use the back yard as a field, with herself posing as a makeshift referee. In the back, there was moderately large patch of dirt. Perfect for a field.

"Okay, listen up," Nurse Joy exclaimed. "This will be a three on three Pokémon battle, no substitutions, and no time limit. The trainer with two victories first is the winner, understand?"

"Got it," they both said simultaneously.

"I'll let you go first Frost," Frost laughed. He was ready to put this jerk in his place. Neither trainer knew it yet, but this battle would be the start of a powerful rivalry.

5


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

John and Frost simply looked at each other. John accepted the offer of being allowed to make the first move, so he grabbed one of his Pokéballs strapped to his belt. He threw it, and out came a small and unassuming Staravia. John smiled, and waited for Frost to call out his first Pokémon. Which he did, and unfortunately, he sent out Pidgey.

"Okay, Staravia, prepare to attack! Use your sand attack!" John commanded. Staravia began to beat his wings against the dirt, creating a thick bed of dust.

"Pidgey, use Gust now!" Frost bellowed. Pidgey did nothing of the sort, she stood there, much to Frost, Nurse Joy, and Megans dismay, and Johns amusement. Pidgey made no attempt to combat her opponent, and Staravia came right around the bed of dust, and hit Pidgey with a Wing Attack, knocking her down.

Pidgey got back up and still did nothing. "Pidgey, come on, battle for me!" frost begged and pleaded to no avail. Pidgey did nothing to help. She took another several hits from Staravias wings. Frost could only look on in agony as his Pokémon refused to fight back. John was laughing and having a good time.

"Face it kid, you'll never be a Pokémon master if you can't even get a Pidgey to do as you tell it," He was not trying to hide his joy, and Frost only got angrier.

"Pidgey, fight back now!" Frost bellowed. Pidgeys stubbornness had gone far enough, but she paid no mind. At that point, Staravia swooped down once more and threw Pidgey to the ground. Staravia stood above Pidgey, who was unconscious.

"Pidgey is unable to battle. Staravia is the winner!" Nurse Joy declared. John said nothing, but looked disappointed for some reason. Frost guessed it was because Pidgey was not a challenge to beat. Now the battle was in his favor, and Frost knew that he could not afford to make any more mistakes.

"Staravia, return!" John recalled Staravia, and grabbed a second Pokéball. Frost recalled Pidgey and dumper her in his bag. He threw his ball and set Butterfree onto the field. John tossed his Pokéball and a small Sentret was placed across from Butterfree. Megan checked her Pokédex o see what I had to say.

 _Sentret, the Scout Pokémon. When it senses danger, Sentret will stand on its tail to view the surrounding area._

"Butterfree, use Poison Powder!" Butterfree flapped her wings wildly and a cloud of poison dust was sent spiraling towards Sentret. However, despite being incased in it, Sentret came out unscathed. Butterfrees attack had no effect.

"Sentret, use Quick Attack!" John commanded. Before Butterfree could do anything, Sentret had already rammed into her. Still, Butterfree held on, and waited for a chance to retaliate.

"Hang in their Butterfree! Use stun Spore!" Butterfree ejected another cloud of dust at Sentret, who was again, engulfed in it. This time however, Sentret was struggling to escape. He managed to, but the poison it would seem, had taken effect. Sentret, had been poisoned.

"Sentret! Get going, use your Quick Attack!" John ordered, Frost could see that his Pokémon's status was of no real concern to him. Sentret struggled, but still hit Butterfree, knocking her on the ground. "Follow it up with Fury Swipes!" Sentret began clawing wildly at Butterfree, who was just able to miss the attacks. Sentret was steadily getting weaker, and Butterfree could see that.

"Butterfree, use Tackle!" Frost yelled. Butterfree flew up into the air, then dove down and collided with Sentret. She then resumed her position in the sky and saw that Sentret was too weak to fight. This of course was not Johns problem. "Once more!" Frost instructed. Butterfree rammed Sentret one more time. Sentret wobbled for a moment or two, before collapsing unconscious on the ground.

"Sentret is out of the battle, Butterfree is the victor!" Nurse Joy announced. Frost and Butterfree were mirthfully bouncing. John was not happy, and recalled his Sentret.

"Thanks for nothing Sentret. You bring shame upon your species," He put the Pokéball back on his belt. Frost recalled his Pokémon as well.

"You did a great job, now get some rest, you should learn to respect and appreciate your Pokémon,"

"Don't preach to me about Pokémon, kid," John retorted. "My Pokémon lost because it was weak, not because I didn't have faith in it. Even if I did before, I don't now,"

"You could be a lot better off, with a powerful bond, your Pokémon don't trust you," Frost patronized. He was a relatively new trainer, so he was not in any position to give advice, even more so since the battle was not yet won. Frost had only managed to balance out the situation. Either trainer had one more chance to win.

"Nurse Joy, John does not seem worried, neither does Frost for that matter," Megan noted.

"I think that they are just testing each other's strength, but I'm sure they are nervous, the battle could go in eithers favor at this point," Nurse Joy and Megan waited to see what would happen.

"Alright Cyndaquil, you're up," He and Cyndaquil exchanged looks, then Cyndaquil jumped into the battle. John grabbed a third Pokéball on his belt. Frost knew it could be anything. "Be careful Cyndaquil, we've come a long way, we can beat him,"

"Alright, Chikorita, I choose you!" John threw his Pokéball and released Chikorita, who looked like he was ready to battle. "You and your cute Cyndaquil can make the first move," John grinned.

"Okay then I will. Cyndaquil use Smokescreen!" Cyndaquil stepped forward and released a thick layer of smoke on the field.

"Okay, Chikorita, use Poison Powder!" Chikorita expectorated a barrage of dust into the fog. Cyndaquil saw the impending danger and quickly leapt out of harm's way. "Now, use Razor Leaf!" John commanded. Chikorita then fired a cluster of leafs. Cyndaquil tried his best to avoid the projectile, but Chikoritas accuracy was far too great. "Now use Tackle!" Chikorita charged at Cyndaquil and pinned him to the ground.

Cyndaquil struggled to get up, for a small Pokémon, Chikorita was pretty strong. "Cyndaquil, use Ember!" Frost yelled. Cyndaquil managed to shove Chikorita off, then ignited his flame. Johns mouth dropped. He was shocked, completely stupefied.

"What is that on Cyndaquils back?" John asked, entirely distracted by Cyndaquils black flames.

"Well, the uh, story behind that is, Cyndaquils DNA is an anomaly. Apparently, he is one of a kind,"

"I believe it," John admitted. "That still won't stop me from beating you, Chikorita, use Razor Leaf!" Chikorita flung another wave of leaves at Cyndaquil, who countered with his blast of frozen fire. Chikoritas leaves were frozen and dropped to the ground. John was shocked at Cyndaquils power. Chikorita was even more surprised, if not a little frightened.

Cyndaquil spat another patch of ice at the enemy, who was now struggling to dodge, watching and waiting for a chance to re take control of the field. Cyndaquil spat more ice, beginning to cover the field. Chikorita was struggling to keep his footing.

"Chikorita, use Light Screen!" Chikorita then created a wall of golden light shielding his body. When Cyndaquil used his Tackle Attack, he could barely get Chikorita off his feet. John was starting to worry, he knew his Pokémon was getting tired, and had a type disadvantage on top of it.

"Cyndaquil, use Ember again!" Cyndaquil spewed a powerful burst of ice at Chikorita, who was hit directly and encased in it. Chikorita struggled to break free, but did. He stepped forward, and inadvertently tore off the leaf from his head! Chikorita was groaning in pain, and John recalled him. Nurse Joy quickly led him to the operating room inside to see what they could do.

While Frost had won, he began to feel guilty about injuring Chikorita so badly, and hoped he would be okay. Frost, Megan and John were sitting in the Pokémon Center while their Pokémon were being treated. Frost looked towards John, who sat there in total silence. Frost guessed he was more disappointed about losing than he was about the injury his Pokémon had sustained.

After a while, Nurse Joy came out of the Emergency Car room, and handed John his Pokéball. "Chikorita will be fine, but her wound may never heal, I'm sorry," She apologized. John took the ball and thanked her, then he gave Frost a dirty look and left.

"We shall meet again Frost, this isn't over," He warned. Frost said nothing and instead put Cyndaquil on his shoulder after he came out.

"Megan, I think we best be off,'" Frost signaled. Megan smiled and she and Clefairy were ready to go.

"We're ready," She smiled. In a few minutes, they were on their way to the Dulshtin Mountains. These mountains were quite a widespread landmark. Reaching from the South West all the way to the tip of the Gulf of Chirahhrah. Seventy thousand miles of rock lay before the two children. At length however, they were far less cruel. Reaching a whopping thirty-eight miles is not entirely overwhelming, and there were trails and paths that cut through even faster.

Frost knew that if they hurried, they could push the average six-day trek down to five. Picking the right trail is a necessity, some trails are used for explorers, and others for travelers, explorers made trails deep inside the mountains. Often they would find themselves wandering through the rocks, and often times can't find their way out. Megan and Frost both, showed concern and hoped they did not suffer the same fate.

Still, Frost was comfortable enough with any mountain range, even the ones he had never been to. Really, mountains only vary in size and range and name, they are still mountains in the end, and there was no mountain range that Frost could not handle. "Are you ready Megan? I've heard of these mountains, they are not known to be friendly to inexperienced travelers," Frost scanned his eyes across the range that went as far as he could see and beyond.

"I can handle it if you can," Megan scoffed. "I have been on this journey as long as you have, besides, these don't look any more threatening than the countless dangers from the past, and I certainly do hope that the worst is behind us," Megan was right about the risk of the mountains, but the worst was certainly not behind them.

Each day the Fairell Mountains grew larger and larger, as the last remnants of Camwell, disappeared beneath the hills. Clefairy and Cyndaquil were getting tired of walking. So had Frost and Megan, but through a quick push, and just after sunset on the third day, they finally reached the mountains. "Are you sure there is no way around?" Megan whined.

"Only if you want to walk all the way around, but that may take weeks or months either way," Frost frowned. "So unless one of your Pokémon can fly, we'll be stuck on the ground. So just take it easy. Me and you will be out of these mountains in a few days,"

"You and I," Megan chimed.

"What?" Frost looked at her confused.

"It's you and I, you said me and you, grammatically speaking, your statement was incorrect," Megan nattered. "I know perfectly well that we are stuck on the ground. You don't need to preach to me about long walks," Megan and Clefairy both pouted and went about their business. They were of course doing nothing but looking up at the towering rocks that lay ahead of them.

"I suppose my grammar did slip, I will give you that, but the way through the mountains will not be found by grumbling, I suggest we stop gawking at them and instead focus on finding a way in," Frost and Megan began walking through the smaller rocks around the base, looking for a trail that would lead them through. Something did catch Frosts eyes, as whatever it was darted behind a small rock.

"Did you see that?" He asked Megan. She was not paying attention, so Frost sent Cyndaquil to see what it was. As Cyndaquil approached the rock, he saw the figure for a brief moment before it darted behind another rock. He quickly followed behind it, before he was hit by a bream of ice. Whatever it was, it was an Ice Pokémon.

Cyndaquil leaped at it and pinned it down. Frost at once recognized what it was. A Sneasel, was the mysterious figure. Frost opened hi Pokédex.

 _Sneasel, the Sharp Claw Pokémon. Sneasel tends to hide in darkness, waiting to ambush potential prey._

"I wonder what it's doing out in the middle of the day, usually Dark type Pokémon can only be found at night." Megan noted, Sneasel must have had a feeling that something was wrong.

"Whatever is the matter Sneasel?" Frost asked, helping it up. Sneasel looked worried, and Frost and Megan both wanted to help. "Sneasel, if we help you, maybe you could help us?" Sneasel looked at him, and saw honesty and trust in his eyes. "Listen, if we help you with your problem, maybe you could help guide us through the mountains to the other side," Frost bargained. Sneasel agreed and led them up the winding slopes.

"Frost are you sure we can trust it?" Megan asked. She was right of course, Sneasel are not the most loyal Pokémon, even to people, but what choice did they have? Without a proper guide, they ran the risk of getting lost in those rocks forever.

"I'm not, but we have to try, besides, Sneasel needs help with something," Frost reminded her. Megan reluctantly agreed and followed them. After what seemed like an hour, they reached a bare patch of land. Looking down, they could see the tops of the trees. Before them lay several caves and tunnels. Sneasel led them through the one furthest from the edge, and very quickly, they were in too deep to see.

"Do any of your Pokémon know Flash?" Frost asked.

"Uh, Ralts might, let me check," Megan pulled out her Pokédex and scanned her Ralts. Her Ralts unfortunately, did not. Which meant they would have to navigate the mountains in the dark. Cyndaquil tried to help, but his back was not a good adjustment. Sneasel struggled to keep them close, as her eyes were more adjusted to seeing in the dark than theirs. On and on the trail curved and bent through the mountains. When finally, they came to a large opening. They knew this because, just a few yards below, lay a bed of water. Flashing bright lights reflected off of it onto the walls.

"Look at all the Chinchou and Lanturn down there," Megan pointed. Frost could see at least twenty of each. He figured the lake must be very deep, and quite wide. Even more importantly, the water had to have come from somewhere. So they looked for a stream or a river of some kind, and followed it. Eventually, they came to a great opening.

Within the walls, Sneasel had led them to a dead end. Below them lay complete darkness, and no way to cross to the other side. "A chasm? You led u to a desolate chasm?" Frost raged. Sneasel began to feel bad, wishing she had picked a better path.

"Frost, don't be mad," Megan tried her best to calm him. "Sneasel didn't know what she was doing, she made a mistake,"

Frost looked at Sneasel, and Sneasel knew she had made a mistake. "Okay, you're right," Frost apologized. "I'm sorry for barking at you like that Sneasel,"

"As you should be. Now, we need to find a way out," Megan began looking around, but the only way forward, was to go back. It would seem our heroes, were totally lost inside the ever expanding tunnels. They turned around, and with a bit of luck, they could potentially find their way back to where they started. However, in the dark, and without a proper guide, there was little chance that their trip back would be as easy as they hoped it would be.

5


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

Deeper and deeper into the mountains they descended, praying that they were going back the way they came. Sneasel had not realized how deep into the mountain she had drew them. Frost knew he should not be upset, but still couldn't help but feel something was wrong with the whole situation.

Why did Sneasel lead hem down this path? At first, she seemed distressed, but now she was not as afraid of the mountains as when she walked back in. "Sneasel, why did you bring us this deep into the mountains?" Megan asked. Sneasel looked around the area, as if to make sure she was safe. She then signaled to her kind. Before long, there were at least a dozen other Sneasel around them.

They all pointed to a collection of boulders, that almost made a sort of wall or barrier. One of the Sneasels cautiously stepped up to it, and slashed it with its claws. Frost and Megan watched and waited for something to happen. At first, nothing did, but soon, one of the boulders revealed itself to be a very irascible Graveler. Sneasel began to shake as she stepped back. Frost and Megan could see that Sneasel was afraid.

Graveler stepped up, and it was quickly joined by a Geodude and Golem. Sneasel was being surrounded. Clefairy and Cyndaquil joined Sneasel and warned the wild Pokémon to stay away. Graveler took no notice and hit Cyndaquil with a Rock Throw attack. Graveler then signaled to Golem, who rolled into a ball and nearly flattened Clefairy! Every Sneasel in the area was too afraid to fight back.

Frost tried to interfere, but Geodude cut him off with a big wall. Now, Sneasel and Clefairy were alone, left to fend for themselves against these terrible foes. Graveler was grinning with a sinister look I its eyes. He knew he had them trapped, and Megan and Frost could not get to them. With no foot room left, Clefairy began to use Metronome, and began to wave her hands.

Graveler and Golem watched, but did not move. Neither Pokémon could tell what would happen next. When Clefairy lowered her arms, she opened her mouth, and ejected a powerful Hydro Pump! Clefairy sent Golem and Graveler flying into the wall, breaking it open. Geodude leapt over them and hit Sneasel with a Mach Punch, and she was out cold.

Obviously, these Sneasel had wandered into these Pokémon's territory, and they were not the least but happy about it. Clefairy came at Graveler with her attack and sent it spiraling into the walls. On impact, the mountain began to shake, and the ceiling above them began to collapse.

"Oh no! We have to move, come on!" Frost yelled, Megan grabbed Clefairy and Sneasel and they ran as fast as they could. Just as well, the ceiling fell and blocked their path. Now, they were stuck "Maybe we should have taken the long way around," Frost grumbled, he was angriest at Sneasel. If it weren't for her, they would have made it closer to the other side. Still, Frost was inclined to abide by his good nature. However, his good nature did not present them with a way out of the mountains. Now, they were completely lost, with very little hope to find a way out.

"This will be the last time I trust a Sneasel," Frost grumbled. He had no reason to of course, Sneasel could not be blamed for being afraid.

"Quit your griping," Megan sharply retorted. "There is no shame in helping those who are in need of it, Sneasel or otherwise,"

"She didn't have to get us lost, and then stuck," Frost complained. "Now we have no way of knowing where we are headed,"

"I'm sure Sneasel did not mean for us to get lost, she was just scared. After all, if I were her size and threatened by some mean Pokémon, I would be scared too. Actually, I'm twice her size and I was still scared,"

Several hours had passed before they decided to set up camp. They were careful not to attract too much attention, for powerful Pokémon are known to reside deep in the rock. More powerful than any Pokémon there I can tell you, so a fight would be something both Megan and Frost would have liked to avoid.

"Hey Frost, can I ask you a question?" Megan whispered.

"Yeah, ask me anything," Frost yawned.

"Well, I was wondering, since you are a Pokémon trainer, you have a fully evolved Butterfree. So what I wanted to know, was if you ever are going to evolve Cyndaquil," Megan looked at Frost, who in all honesty, was not expecting that question. Cyndaquil came over, also surprised. He and Frost exchanged glances.

"Well, uh...as a Pokémon trainer I would like to, but…" Frost paused, and looked at Cyndaquil again. He could tell that this was not going to go well. "I…do you want to evolve Cyndaquil?" Cyndaquil stepped back, and ran off. Frost ran after him, realizing that he had overwhelmed Cyndaquil. "Cyndaquil!"

Megan looked at Clefairy, who was wondering if she wanted her to evolve as well. "I suppose we had better go after them," Megan groaned. "It's hard enough to get sleep in a dark mountain without having few opportunities to actually sleep," Frost had lost Cyndaquil in the dark winding tunnels. He couldn't hear him; he could not see him. Frost could only think about ways to handle this sensitive issue.

Why shouldn't Cyndaquil evolve? Quilava and Typhlosion are fairly powerful Pokémon. With their help, Frost could win the title of Pokémon master. Cyndaquil of course, belonged to Frost. He owned him and was his trainer. Anything Frost told Cyndaquil to do, he would without question. Cyndaquil did not have a choice. Frost would be sure to remind him of that, once he was found.

"How far could he have run off?" Megan asked him after she had caught up. "His little legs could not carry him far," Clefairy was smelling the air, looking for Cyndaquils odor.

"If you were a bit more sensitive to your Pokémon's feelings, this wouldn't be an issue," Megan stated.

"I'll have you know I am more than sensitive to my Pokémon feelings, I just don't see why Cyndaquil would not want to be more powerful than he already is," Frost stated. "After all, power is what wins' battles,"

Megan could not believe what she was hearing. She had never seen Frost act this way before. "If Cyndaquil does not want to evolve, you cannot force him to do so,"

"I can make Cyndaquil do anything I tell him. He belongs to me after all," Frost grumbled

"Frost, your Pokémon is not an object. He isn't a weapon. Cyndaquil is a living breathing creature. He has feelings, and what you said was frankly impertinent,"

"I know what I said!" Frost snapped. Megan had crossed the line, and why should she? She had no authority over him in any way. She also was not a Pokémon trainer. Evolution was a process that only trainers should deal with. Contest contestants did not have any real understanding of the pressures of being a Pokémon Master, and Megan was no exception. "Look, when I find Cyndaquil, I'll talk to him,"

Sneasel and Megan and Clefairy began to look one way, and Frost, the other. For when they came to a big split that went in two separate directions, they agreed to cover more ground, and meet back where they split up if things went south. Frost eventually came into a large and open area, that contained an old tent. Clearly this place had once been home to some of the Mountain Men who lived here, but Frost guessed that this base had been abandoned for years.

Inside the tent was what Frost had hoped he would have, a map of the different trails leading straight to the other side and down to Tougargh City. Now all that needed to be done was to find Cyndaquil and regroup with the others. He hoped Cyndaquil could still be found, he knew the consequences of those in the past that could not maneuver through a mountain. "Cyndaquil! Where are you?" Frost hollered.

Frost waited patiently for a moment before continuing on through the tunnel. There was no sign of Cyndaquil, at least for a while. Megan and Clefairy were having no luck either. Clefairy and Sneasel could not pick up Cyndaquils scent. "Guys, ii don't think Cyndaquil came this way, let's go back," They have up the search and returned to the fork in the path to wait for Frost to return.

Frost was scared not only for himself and Megan, but Cyndaquil as well. Any hope of finding him was diminishing, and Frost was prepared to give up. Just then, something caught Frosts eyes, there was a steady blue glow, it was faint but Frost managed to follow it. There, he found Cyndaquil, in a corner. It appeared, that Cyndaquil was trying to hide something. When it dawned on him what Cyndaquil was doing, Frost was taken back by surprise. Cyndaquil, was trying to not evolve, he was trying to repress the evolutionary process.

"Cyndaquil, what's wrong?" Frost squatted next to him. Cyndaquil stepped back, still upset at what had happened. "Look, Cyndaquil, I know what I said, and what I said was insensitive," Cyndaquil stepped forward and looked at Frost. "Now, I'm all for evolution, and I want you to be as strong as you can be. So if you are mad at me, I understand, but if you don't want to evolve, then I will ask no more of it," Frost and Cyndaquil hugged. "Now, look, I have this map with some tunnels and trails, we can find our way back to the main trails,"

In a few minutes, they found their way back to the fork where Megan and the Pokémon were waiting. "I'm glad you found him Frost, now we can continue to look for a way out," Megan smiled.

"Good news, I found an old base, and there was a map of the mountains," Frost pulled it out and began to look at it. They were near one of the main trails, which could help lead them out of the mountains in a few days at best. "Now, if we follow this path, it will take us to an intertwined crossing between the separate paths, then if we take this path here, we can follow it to the other side,"

"I suppose we should get a move on then," Megan shrugged. Together, they continued through the winding tunnel, before they came to the crossing. "Now that we know where we are, can we please get some sleep?" Megan begged. Her eyes were baggy, and her voice seemed weak. So they set up camp again and prepared for the rest of their journey tomorrow.

"Cyndaquil, if you don't want to evolve, I won't force you to, maybe when we get in to town, they could give you an Everstone," Frost suggested, before he drifted into a deep sleep. Sneasel, who was still awake, and off hunting for food, was still feeling guilty about the whole mess she had gotten them into.

She managed to find a little Magikarp and a Seel in the occasional pools of water scattered throughout the mountains, plenty for a Sneasel to eat. Especially now that she did not have to worry about her or the others being threatened by Graveler anymore. She was free to come and go whenever it struck her fancy. Come the next morning, she decided that she owed Frost for his help. She had decided to join Frost on his quest and fight alongside him.

When Frost was packing his bag, Sneasel handed him a Pokéball. "Sneasel, what are you doing?" Frost took the Pokéball, and Sneasel smiled. "I suppose you want to join me, well…I suppose so, after all, my name is Frost,"

"Is that why they named you Frost? Because you were destined to train Ice Pokémon?" Megan chuckled.

Frost just looked at her unamused. "That's stupid," With that, He opened the Pokéball and sucked Sneasel in. He dropped the ball and it shook three times before accepting Sneasel into the system. "Now let's see, how many Pokémon have I accumulated?" He asked himself. He counted Cyndaquil, Pidgey, Butterfree, and now Sneasel for a total of four.

"You have come pretty far since you left your home," Megan smiled, and every day, you move closer to your destination," She picked up Clefairy, who was still very tired from the events of the previous night.

"Which trail are we taking?" Frost asked. Megan, who had the map took a good look at the different trails. Among the eight different paths, only two of them were helpful to travelers. One led to the entrance closer to Camwell, and the other, to Tougargh. All the other paths, were set up as decoys by past visitors and Mountain Men, to lure unsuspecting persons to a trap. Their history is a sad and dark one, far too evil to even think about.

So with all of that said and done, Megan and Frost chose the correct trail. Heading down, they passed by a sort of bridge on the outside. Looking down, they could see Tougargh City. "There it is," Frost pointed. "It doesn't look that far, we just have to find a way down,"

"How close are we to leaving?" Megan asked. Clefairy hopped down to look at the city far in the distance.

"May I see the map?" Frost asked. Megan nodded and pulled out the map from her bag and handed it to him. "According to this map, if we follow this path, a few turns here and there, we should be out in a day or so," Frost returned the map to Megan, who folded it and placed it back in her bag. By mid-day, the two of them had eaten the last of the food they had brought from Camwell. Cyndaquil continued to struggle to stop evolving. He hoped that somehow, he could find one of those Everstones Frost had mentioned before.

Now, Cyndaquil was not against becoming more powerful, but the fact of the matter is that he had made a bond with Frost as Cyndaquil, and he feared their mutual trust in each other would be lost if he hanged and took on a whole new persona. Why should he take such a risk? To gain power, to learn new moves? Frost was Cyndaquils first and best friend, and as far as he was concerned, nothing would come between them.

Frost too was concerned about this matter. After all, Cyndaquil had to evolve sometime, didn't he? Why did he want to stay the same? Did Cyndaquil want him to lose? A puny Pokémon like him wouldn't stand a chance against something big like Charizard or Machamp. Did Cyndaquil want him to fail? To let the entire monk culture down? No, of course not. Why would he? Cyndaquil was not a malignant Pokémon in any way. He and Frost were best friends, there would be no sense or reason to betray him like that.

Frost had no time to think about such awful things, there were more important matters at hand at this particular time. Specifically, finding the way out of the mountains. Megan was trying her best to keep Clefairy from wandering off. "Remember what happened before? We couldn't find you, you have to stay close if you don't want to get hurt,"

Clefairy was sad that she could not explore, but she also knew that danger lurked around every corner, there are safety in numbers after all. Besides, in a mountain there is very little to see. Maybe an abandoned settlement here and there, a couple of interesting gizmos and gadgets dropped by explorers, but nothing of any real interest to a Pokémon.

Frost figured it would be a good time to let his Pokémon out as well. There, Pidgey, and Butterfree were able to meet their new found ally Sneasel. Pidgey, seemed to like Sneasel, which considering how she felt about everyone else, was remarkable. "Pidgey, are you in a good mood today?" Frost asked ever so politely. Pidgey of course, was not, and responded by a swift and sharp Peck attack. Frost tried to duck and dodge her strikes, but he came out of it with several cuts before grabbing Pidgeys ball. Before he could call her back, she began to glow. After the light subsided, in Pidgeys place, stood Pidgeotto. Pidgeotto? A Pokémon needs experience to evolve. Frost and Megan were both dumfounded by this.

Frost could not comprehend the idea that constant disobedience, attacking trainers, and doing nothing would be met with reward. "I…you…she…did you…." Pidgeotto stepped forward and looked Frost in his eyes. "Um, Pidgeotto, are you nice?" Pidgeottos response? What else? A sharp Peck attack, but this time, a larger and sharper beak. After succumbing to a barrage of bloody bruises, Frost recalled his savage Pokémon.

"How was Pidgey able to evolve?" Megan asked, still trying to comprehend how she was able to do so. Frost had seen some strange things, but this topped them all. Was there something going on? After all, a Sneasel, a Dark type Pokémon found in the middle of the day? A Pokémon evolving without proper experience. Something had gone awry, and Frost wanted to know what. Perhaps Professor Maillak or Master Hu would be able to answer this riddle.

5


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

As the sun rose higher into the sky, Frost and Megan drew ever so close to the other side of the mountain. "Frost, how much farther? We've been in this wretched mountain range for three days," Megan complained.

"How many times do I have to say it? If we hurry, we can be out of here by nightfall," Frost grumbled.

"That's what you said yesterday, and the day before," Megan reminded him. "Face it, we're lost. That map you found is d dud. Probably another trick left by the early settlers,"

"This map can't be a fake, why else would…they leave it behind to be found," It was at this moment, Frost realized he had been duped, bamboozled, and conned. If the map was not leading them out, where was it leading them? Frost and Megan both hoped they would not find out.

Together, the two of them looked for a way out. A way to find the sun to see where they were heading. As they took another turn into a tunnel, and they found something. The path was shown by a ray of sunlight. "Maybe…" Frost pondered, he then threw out Butterfree. "Butterfree, fly up there and see if you can't find a way out of this dreadful place," With that, Butterfree flew up and out of the whole in the ceiling.

From her view, she could see an open area by the slopes. According to the sun, her master was heading back towards Camwell. If she could find a way from their current path to that open area, they would have an easier time navigating the maze. So she flew down to find a connecting trail. There was one, and unfortunately, neither of the two trainers would willingly comply to the required actions.

At the far end of the tunnel, where Frost and Megan were headed, Butterfree could see a sudden drop off just above the open area. There was no way to get down. No rope, no climbing equipment, just a drop off. Butterfree went to deliver the bad news. Megan and Frost both looked down at the open area on the slop. The drop itself could not have been much higher than thirty feet or so, but neither Megan nor Frost were even close to being that tall.

"How do you want to do this?" Megan asked. "There does not seem to be any equipment,"

"Well, we can't climb down, and we can't drop," Frost examined the area, there were a few rocks jutting out that they could step on, but that would still require a great stretching from either person. Still, they had to try. Frost held Megans hand as he lowered her over the side. She reached for the rock, just below her.

"I can't tell how close I am," Megan said, trying to find her footing, she did not want to risk falling to her untimely demise. Her foot was just above a rock. "I think there's a stone right beneath me," As Megan began to put pressure on her foot, she heard a cracking sound and knew that she was on a small platform jolting out from the wall. She went to put her other foot on it, even though there was little room for it. She was almost there, before the platform broke off and she was left hanging over the side.

"Help! Pull me up!" She cried. Frost struggled to pull her up, and he was beginning to lose his grip.

"Cyndaquil! Help her!" Frost yelled. Megans weight was beginning to pull him over the edge. In a dash, Cyndaquil let down onto Megans shoulder. He was not strong enough to pull her up, but that was not what he had in mind. Instead, he began to spit ice patches at the wall in order to create more ground. Megan grabbed onto it and pulled herself up.

"Way to go Cyndaquil!" Frost cheered. Cyndaquil began to construct a makeshift set of stairs for them to walk down. Finally, they reached the bottom and had a better view of the mountain. "Look, there's Tougargh City, we are so close," He pointed. Megan could see it just a few miles away.

"Don't forget, we still need to get out of here," Megan noted. Now however, that they were outside where they could see, finding a way out of this winding maze would be much more simple. Megan began to look around for the fastest way out. Eventually, they found a trail leading out of the mountains.

"There, you see? I told you we would find a way out," Frost said. "Tougargh City is only a few miles away,"

"What day is it?" Megan asked. "We were in those mountains for a good long while,"

"Let me see," Frost checked his Pokédex. "Today, is Wednesday, February sixteenth,"

"When did we enter the mountains?" Megan asked.

"Well, we entered late into the ninth,"

"So it wasn't just a few days, we were in there for a week," Megan stated. Frost felt foolish for relying on a map that you found at an abandoned outpost,"

'Oh no, not a week," Frost complained sarcastically. "We still have a long way to go. Tougargh is a few hours away, and the Pokémon tournament in Palendome is on the seventeenth of August. We can't afford to waste time anymore," Sure enough, time was of the essence. Still, the road was long, and neither Megan nor Frost wished to be in the wild for much longer. For in the mountains and the trail between them and Tougargh, they had consumed all of their food and water.

By nightfall, they had reached Tougargh City. Heading straight for the Pokémon center and asking for a room. Nurse Joy kindly admitted them, and they were at long last resting in a soft and cozy bed. "Frost," Megan yawned.

"What is it?" He asked, too tired to really be interested.

"We must not forget, after you battle the Gym Leader, we must deliver that package to Mr. Benson," Megan reminded him. That package Nurse Joy from Camwell had given them seemed to be very important.

"Oh, bless me!" Frost gasped. He had completely forgotten the parcel for this Rourke fellow. After rummaging through his bag, he found it. "Say, suppose we open it and take a peek at what's inside?" Frost suggested.

"We should not do that, this package is for Mr. Benson, not us," Megan stated.

"Come on, are you telling me, that you are not the least bit curious?" Frost asked. He tore a bit of the wrapping. From what he saw, was a box. Just a box. Now, his curiosity had grown fully. He opened up the box and was surprised at what was inside. A few pieces of metal, and blue prints to a Pokéball. Some new model was his guess. What stood out to him, was a big M on the front of it.

"Must be a new product for his company," Megan guessed. "I wonder where his company is, what was it called again?"

Frost rewrapped the package. "I believe she said it was called KevaCorp," He asserted. "First, I want to find the gym,"

Come the next day, the two had enjoyed a hot shower, a good home cooked meal, and the presence of other people. Much more suitable than the lonesome dark of the Fairell Mountains. "If you're looking for the gym," Nurse Joy said, "It's just down the street," She pointed out the window to the left. "I believe the leader there, Amy, trains Steel type Pokémon. So Fire, Fighting, or Ground will benefit you best,"

"Thanks for the tip," Frost smiled.

"Excuse me Nurse, do you know of any Pokémon contests being held here?" Megan was hoping to have another chance to win.

"I'm afraid you just missed it, there was a contest just two days ago," Nurse Joy apologized. "The next one is being held next month,"

"Oh, uh, thanks anyway," Megan smiled. Clefairy seemed to be especially disappointed. After the disastrous competition in Camwell, she was looking forward to impressing her. Perhaps a Hyper beam attack, or maybe even a Draco Meteor. Unlikely however, Metronome is always a gamble. Taking that kind of chance would not help cement Clefairy as a helpful partner.

Frost immediately headed to the gym to get his badge. Whoever this Amy lass was, had a gym badge that belonged to him. Now, he had come to claim it. Steel Pokémon are tough, tougher than the strongest substances on the planet. Steelix for example, is harder than diamonds. Their very being is composed of Titanium and Steel alloy. However, none of Frosts Poke on had a type advantage over her Pokémon.

If anything, this battle would be one of the hardest so far. However, something in Frost gave him the strange sense, that the challenges would only get harder. As it should, what good would it be, to have gym badges be easier and easier to obtain? Pokémon trainers enjoyed a good challenge. A challenge makes victory all the more satisfying.

What would his strategy be? Cyndaquil, if anything had a type disadvantage, Pidgeotto was no good, nor was Sneasel…then it hit Frost. He ran to the nearest Pokémart. Inside, he ran straight to the TM aisle. On the shelves were over a dozen moves. Roar, Powder Snow, Psybeam, among others. Then finally, there were the moves he needed: Flamethrower, Mach Punch, and Double Kick. Just the moves to take down the Steel Pokémon that awaited him.

Frost quickly purchased the TM's and ran out to tach his Pokémon the new moves. "Cyndaquil, you of course are going to learn Flamethrower. As for Sneasel, let's see if you cannot learn Double Kick," Frost pulled out his Pokédex. According to Sneasels databanks, she was not compatible with Double Kick or Mach Punch, and since Cyndaquils DNA was more ice than fire, Flamethrower was out of the question. Meaning Frost had waited the last bit of money he had, and his time.

"Well guys, it looks like we are just going to have to rely on our strength and speed on this one," Frost groaned. At the door, he was greeted by two people. He could not see their faces, because they were covered from head to foot. They stood there silently, until one of them stepped forward.

"Are you here to challenge the gym leader?" A robotic and menacing voice echoed from the metal face. The bright red eyes reflected sunlight right into Frosts eyes. He stepped back and shielded himself.

"Yes I am," He and Cyndaquil approached the Metal Guards again. Few trainers took Pokémon training as serious as Gym Leaders. Even Kane and Grace didn't take things that seriously. "May I battle her?" He asked, ever so politely.

The second guard stepped forward. "She is battling with another trainer, she will be done soon," Both guards chuckled. "We will let you know when she is available,"

Now, let us back track. While Frost and Cyndaquil were shopping for useless attacks, Megan and Clefairy were busy shopping themselves. "Hey Clefairy, let's see if we can't find Frost an Everstone for Cyndaquil," Megan suggested. Together, they checked the Pokémart. They found nothing, but they did manage to stumble across something better; a Game Corner.

Inside, were three rows of colorful machines for gambling, and a man and a woman running the prize section. Megan approached them, and the two of them looked confused as to why such a young child would think to come to a casino.

"How may we help you?" The woman asked kindly.

"Well, I was looking for a stone," Megan answered.

"Stones? There are hundreds of millions of stones outside!" The husband interrupted, and with that, both started to laugh wildly.

"I'm sorry, I don't seem to get the joke," Megan said.

"Oh, it's funny because there are hundreds of millions of stones outside, when you come in here looking for one!" They both could not help themselves, and continued to laugh hysterically.

"I meant an Evolutionary Stone," Megan stated implacably. The man and woman then stopped laughing and looked at each other.

"Oh well, that is more specific isn't it?" The woman smiled.

"If you must know we have at least six different stones to choose from," The man pulled out a silver box. Inside, were three columns and two rows. A Fire Stone, a Moon, a Sun Stone, and a Dusk Stone among others. However, the one that caught Megans wandering eyes, was a plain looking rock. It was of average size with a simple and unassuming look.

"What's this one?" Megan asked, pointing to it.

"That, my dear, is an Everstone," The woman said. Megan looked at Cyndaquil with a smile of success.

"How much for it?" She asked kindly. The man pointed to the sign above his head. An Evolution Stone, cost as much as twenty thousand coins!

"You can trade it in with coins. You can earn coins from the machines. Here, have a few to get started," He handed Megan a coin case, and Megan decided to put them to use. Megan, who was quite skilled in science and math, approached one of the slot machines.

Megan read the instructions and examined the different emblems. She took note that the one she needed to get, was a Pikachu. She took a spin and watched the dial move. After a few seconds, she lost. No big deal though, she didn't roll to win, she rolled to get a sense of the machine. For a few minutes, she examined the speed of the dial. Calculating how often a Pikachu appeared in each square.

She spun a gain and waited. One after another she stopped. All three times, one after another, Pikachu, Pikachu, Pikachu. With her success, she earned a whopping twelve thousand coins over the next two hours. Leaving the two running the joint, completely dumfounded.

"Miss, we had no idea that you were such a professional gambler," The man stated.

"Does this mean I can have an Everstone?" Megan asked politely.

"Well, I don't know…" The man said. The woman slapped him.

"She earned the stone fair and square, give it to her," She barked. With that, Megan took the stone, and with Clefairy she ran out of the casino to tell Frost the good news. Frost, during that time, was still waiting for Amy to come out and battle him. Though, with his skills, she would be better off just forfeiting the badge to him. The metal guards were still with him. Before long however, one of them pulled up a strange device. Sort of like a transmitter crossed with a phone. "Guards, I'm ready for the next challenger," A few moments later, a young girl, no older than twelve perhaps, came running out of the gym crying.

"Amy, is ready for you," The guard on the left said. Both of them turned around, and opened the great door, and let Frost in.

Now, before we continue, I must tell you now, in order to save you from confusion later, that back in Camwell, there was a problem arising. As it turns out, both Clayton and Talia, had managed to break out of prison. "We have to get that Cyndaquil for the boss," Talia grumbled. She and Clayton quickly did away with the guards, and stole some new street clothes.

"He hired us, to get rare Pokémon, not chase after some rotten kids," Clayton reminded her. "Though, losing to him twice, did leave a bad taste in my mouth," He and Talia smiled.

"If they aren't around, we can have all of their Pokémon," Talia suggested. "If the boss wants to build his army, he'll need all the help he can get,"

"Contact him then," Clayton ordered. Talia pulled out her phone and called him up.

"What is it?" A surly and raspy voice answered on the other end.

"We are out of the Camwell prison, and are coming to Tougargh to meet you," She told him. "There's a kid who has a special Pokémon with him,"

"Oh? Tell me," The voice lightened up just a bit, and showed interest.

"He's got a Cyndaquil with him. Its unlike anything I've ever seen; Its DNA is composed of pure ice. You have to see it to believe it,"

"Very well, bring it to me,"

"What about the kids?" Talia asked.

"You should never have brought them into this, kill them immediately,"

"It will be done sir," She hung up and turned to Clayton, who was waiting for their new orders. "We have work to do,"

5


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

Frost entered the gym, hoping he had enough luck to not only stand his ground against the gym leader, but also to defeat her. Of course, he was a bit distracted by the shining white titanium walls and floor. He had trouble navigating through the gym with the light from each wall reflecting off of the other. Eventually, he was approached by a woman in a bright silver suit. She had, what Frost noticed first and foremost, been wearing a sort of goggle like piece over her eyes.

"I'm Amy, and who might you be?" She asked.

Frost stepped forward, trying to get a good look at her, which was difficult with the light. "I'm Frost, I've come here to challenge you for the gym badge," Cyndaquil hopped off of his shoulder onto the white floor.

"Well, I suppose I have time for just one more battle, I hope my guards did not disturb you," She led Frost through a corridor of tubes and wires and an assortment of machines. Frost guessed this was like a power plant just like the gym in Camwell. Camwell however, had a saner and stable gym leader. From what Frost could make out, there was a big tube like structure in the middle of this big room.

"Don't worry about the reactor, it's perfectly able to contain the radioactive materials," Amy stated. Frost was surprised by how nonchalant she was about a nuclear reactor. What kind of legal issues did she have to go through to get it in here? Was she aware of the dangers of the radioactive substances?

"We aren't going to battle in here are we?" Frost asked anxiously.

"No, if one of our Pokémon accidently strikes the reactor, it will explode and wipe out the entire city in minutes," She calmly explained. Clearly, Amy was as unstable as the reactor. Now Frost was even more worried. Eventually, they came into a big room. This area was less overwhelming, and no reactors. Just a plain, simple field, with a few scare crates scattered throughout.

"Now, since I'm low on Pokémon, and don't have a lot of time, how about a two on two battle?" Amy asked. She removed her goggles, revealing a pair of nice brown eyes, which really stood out against her white suit and silver hair. She almost looked normal.

Frost agreed and walked to the other end of the field. He had no idea which Pokémon could stand their own. With a disadvantage in every way, he pulled out his Pokédex and scanned his Pokémon. Sneasel, knew Brick Break, but that's a TM. How could she know Brick Break? She must have belonged to a trainer. Perhaps a traveler, who got lost inside the Fairell Mountains. Her trainer, obviously met a grizzly fate.

So, she was for certain going to battle. Who else? Pidgeotto would not obey if her life depended on it, Cyndaquil only knew Ice and Normal attacks, Butterfree would not be much use, already this was a losing fight. Still, he had to try. He threw out Sneasel who was ready to fight. Amy, who was confused, if anything, tossed a ball. From that Pokéball, emerged a Scizor. Frost wanted to get a bit more info, and this is what the Pokédex had to say:

 _Scizor, the Pincer Pokémon and the evolved form of Scyther. Scizor will flap its wings to adjust its body temperature as opposed to using them for flight._

Frost knew that this battle would have to be won with strategy as opposed to brute force. "Sneasel, use Dig!" Sneasel leapt up in the air, then dove down and began to rapidly burrow beneath the surface. Within a moment, there was no way to tell where Sneasel had gone.

"Stay calm Scizor, watch your footing!" Amy commanded. Scizor began to scan the area, listening in to find the enemy.

"Now Sneasel! Use Brick Break!" Frost bellowed. Scizor looked down at his fee to see Sneasel come rocketing through the ground and hitting him with all her might. Scizor stumbled backwards and took a deep breath.

"Okay Scizor! Use X-Scissor!" Amy cheered. Scizor leapt forward and gave Sneasel a good slashing. Before Scizor could attack again however, Sneasel burrowed under the field to safety. "Go after it Scizor! Make sure she doesn't double back!" Scizor nodded and went in after her.

Now, both Amy and Frost just stood there, waiting to see which Pokémon would emerge victorious. Every so often, there would be a thump, but it was very faint. Several minutes went by, and neither emerged from the ground.

"Do you think they're okay?" Amy asked. She began to worry. Hopefully, this wasn't a fight to the death.

"I hope so," Frost said. "Do you think we should go in after them?" He asked.

"It has been unusually long hasn't it?" She nodded. Together, she and Frost began to examine the hole Scizor and Sneasel had gone down. Just then however, Scizor appeared. Frost and Amy backed up to see what happened. Scizor emerged from thee whole and closed his eyes, with Sneasel pushing him out.

"Sneasel, did…did you kill Scizor?" Frost asked. Sneasel looked at the fainted Pokémon and checked for a pulse. After the Pokémons' pulse had proven his survival, Sneasel shook her head. Both Frost and Amy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, now we can continue with the battle," Amy smiled. She recalled Scizor and grabbed another Pokémon. Frost also switched out and sent in Cyndaquil. Amy's new Pokémon, was Magneton. "Now, Magneton, use Lock-On!" Magneton sent out a light flash that brightened Cyndaquil.

"Cyndaquil, use Double Team!" Cyndaquil stepped forward and began to move. Before Magneton could attack, it was surrounded by a dozen Cyndaquils, and had no idea which one was real. "Now give it a nice Quick Attack!" Magneton was circling around, and turned, only to see Cyndaquil ram into it! Each of the separate Magnemites fell on the ground. Quickly they flew back together.

Cyndaquil came around again from behind and gave it a nice Tackle! Magneton was not hurt by either attack, at least not enough to tell. "Magneton, use Thunderbolt!" Amy shouted. Magneton began to charge the attack, but till had to be wary of Cyndaquils constant strikes. Dodging left and right, back and forth, it evaded each hit, but only just.

After Cyndaquil began to grow tired, his attacks started to slow, Magneton finally had a chance to unleash its attack! A powerful bolt of lightning was sent spiraling straight to Cyndaquil, who was too exhausted to move, was struck directly, throwing him into the wall! "Hang in there Cyndaquil!" Frost shouted. Cyndaquil, who was quickly being drained of energy, struggled to stand up.

"Magneton, use Giga Impact!" Magneton levitated back a few feet, and then charged at Cyndaquil with all of its might! Magneton collided with Cyndaquil, who flew back into one of the various crates scattered on the field. Cyndaquil did not get up, and Frost could see that he was completely out.

"Looks like it's down to one Pokémon each," Amy noted. She began to smile. Not from pride, but from the enjoyment of a challenge. There are not too many ways to beat Steel Pokémon, and Amy had been disappointed by the last few trainers, whom she disposed of quickly.

Frost pulled out Sneasel again, and she went and grabbed Cyndaquil, who was still unconscious. "Sneasel, do you think you can beat Magneton?" Frost asked. She nodded, and stepped up against the metal foe. "Let's finish this! Sneasel, use Brick Break!" Sneasel jumped ay Magneton, and gave Magneton a good what for. Hit after hit, Magneton was beginning to feel dizzy.

"Magneton! Use Thunderbolt!" Amy commanded. Magneton spun up, and unleased another attack! Sneasel of course, being the faster of the two, was able to avid the attack, and circle around for another hit. Magneton held on for quite some time, before finally plummeting to the Earth, defeated.

Frost had beaten Amy! She recalled Magneton, and both met at the center of the field. "Well, I guess you've earned this," She reached into her pocket, and pulled out a small badge. It was silver of course, and had a rough grainy texture to it. "This, is the Ingot Badge," Frost took it, and placed it in the storage along with the Sinew and Pylon badges.

With a third badge now in his possession, Frost thanked Amy, and headed on his way. "Hey Frost," Amy called.

"Yes?" Frost turned around to see Amy coming up behind him.

"If you're ever in town, maybe we could have a rematch?" She suggested.

"Sure, I'd love to," Frost smiled.

"Great, it's not very often I meet a trainer that is a real challenge," Amy laughed.

"Well, my Pokémon and I are only going to get stronger, and you're pretty tough to beat yourself," Frost noted. He held Cyndaquil in his arms. Cyndaquil was beginning to come to, but he still could not move very much. "I would be happy to meet up with you someday," He smiled.

By quarter past one, Frost had returned to the Pokémon Center, where Megan and Clefairy were waiting with their surprise. "Frost, thank goodness you're back, Clefairy and I have something for you,"

"What is it?" Frost sked.

"This," Megan handed him the Everstone. Frost looked at it curiously.

"It's a rock," He bluntly stated. "What am I to do with a rock?"

"Excuse me, that is no ordinary rock, it's an Everstone," Megan scowled.

"How did you come by this?" Frost began to smile, knowing Cyndaquil would like it a lot.

"I won it at the Game Corner just down the road in a matter of minutes,"

"That seems highly improbable, don't you think that will spark some controversy?" Frost asked.

Megan laughed. "Who cares, it's a casino," She shrugged it off as Frost handed the rock to Cyndaquil.

Cyndaquil was puzzled. "Now Cyndaquil, this rock isn't permanent. So, if you do ever decide to change your mind, you can always toss it away, is that okay?" Frost asked. Cyndaquil took the stone, and then hugged Frost. When all of that was said and done, Frost and Megan began to go over the map to see the best routes through the region.

"It looks like the closest gym is in Kelivarth City," Megan observed. "Between us and Kelivarth lies the great forest of Selthwood. Looks like it will be a week or two till we get to Kelivarth,"

"Why does everything have to be so large?" Frost groaned. At least the beauty of a forest, all the green, and such, would be an improvement over the Fairell Mountains. "Didn't Professor Maillak warn us about Selthwood?"

"I don't remember, that was months ago," Megan shrugged. "Besides, I'm sure if there was a problem with it, its passed by now,"

"You're right," Frost sighed. "I'm just being paranoid, everything will be fine. I'm sure that the worst is behind us,"

"Not behind us however," A voice came up from behind.

"To protect the world from devastation," Said one.

"To unite all people within our nation," Said thee other.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"

"To extend our reach to the stars above,"

"Talia,"

"Clayton,"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light. Surrender now or prepare to fight," Both finished together.

"You again?!" Frost shrieked. He had not been expecting to see them so soon. Actually, he hoped he would never have to see them again. "What are you doing here? You two should be in jail!"

"We decided to leave, but don't worry, just give us your Cyndaquil, and we will show you mercy," Clayton chuckled.

"I'm not giving you Cyndaquil! Go find your own, I'm sure there's a Cyndaquil you could poach somewhere in the world," Frost retorted. Who do these goons think they are? He thought to himself. Why were they so persistent?

"Why don't you make like a tree and leaf?!" Megan rebuked. Clayton and Talia and Frost all looked completely flummoxed.

"shut up," Clayton groaned. He had never heard anything so puerile. Really, in this one situation, he could not be blamed. Megan frowned, knowing she should have kept her mouth shut. "So, if you won't give us your Pokémon willingly, me and Talia are going to have to take it from you,"

"Talia and I," Frost chimed.

"Excuse me?" Clayton asked. "What on Earth are you talking about?"

"You said me and Talia, while in terms of using proper grammar, the correct statement would have been Talia and I," Frost lectured. He remembered Megans scolding about his improper vocabulary.

"I'm getting real sick and tired of your mouth mountain man," Clayton scowled. He reached towards his belt and grabbed a Pokéball and threw it. Out came Electabuzz, the same one he used in the gym in Camwell. Talia grabbed one as well. Frost had taken her Zubat and gave it to Megan, so he had no idea what to expect. Her Pokémon, was Ninjask.

"Let's get this show on the road!" Talia declared.

"Not so fast," Megan stepped up.

"Megan, what are you doing?" Frost asked. "You don't battle," Megan pulled out a Pokéball.

"No, but you can't beat these two goons by yourself," She reminded him. Megan had never actually participated in a real Pokémon battle, but she had witnessed Frost battle on several different occasions, and had a relatively primitive idea on how it worked. Even though it really wasn't all that complicated.

"Go Zubat!" Megan threw out Talias old Zubat.

"So, you accuse us of stealing, when you are in possession of my Pokémon?" Talia scowled.

"He deserves a better trainer than you," Megan retorted. Clayton and Talia had no real intention of winning the battle, but they were waiting for an opportunity to nab Cyndaquil. They just hoped that Frost wouldn't realize that until it was too late.


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

"I'll start things off," Megan grinned. "Zubat, use Supersonic!" Zubat flew right up in Beedrills face and emitted a high-pitched energy wave. Beedrill began to stumble around and struggled to take flight.

"That won't stop my Beedrills power! Beedrill, use Twineedle!" Beedrill was confused, and began to look around at the other Pokémon. "Beedrill, don't you dare!" Clayton bellowed. Beedrill struggled for a moment, and then continuously beat himself silly! "Beedrill, knock that off this instant!" Clayton bellowed.

"Alright, I guess it's up to me!" Talia grunted. "Let's finish this now! Ninjask, use Sand Attack!" Ninjask began to rapidly flap her wings, creating aa great cloud of sand and dust! Cyndaquil and Zubat were watching their backs, and Frost and Megan could not see what was going on inside.

Eventually, after the dust cleared, Megan and Frost were shocked to find that Cyndaquil, Talia, and Clayton had gone! "Where are they?!" Frost screamed furiously. "They took Cyndaquil!"

"Don't worry, well find them," Megan tried to comfort him, but he was not in the mood to listen. He threw out all of his Pokémon and sent them on a city wide search. Pidgeotto soared over the rooftops, and Butterfree and Sneasel had been thoroughly scouring downtown.

Frost and Megan ran to the police station to tell them what had happened. Officer Jenny took immediate interest. "These two goons stole your Pokémon? What did they look like?"

"Well the woman, named Talia, is in her mid-twenties, she has blonde hair, and green eyes, and about our height. Clayton, was easily thirty, quite muscular, has brown hair, and a mustache. Oh Officer Jenny, I wish I had seen this coming," Frost ranted.

"Don't worry, they could not have gotten far, we have connections to every major police station in Santem. We will find them both, and your stolen Pokémon," She assured him. Why don't you stay with us for the night, and by morning, we will have everything back to normal,"

"Oh Frost, before we go, we still need to deliver the package to Mr. Benson at KevaCorp, Officer, have you any idea where it might be?" Megan remembered.

"Certainly, KevaCorp is the number one Pokémon research business in the world, it's just down the road, maybe half a mile. Would you like a lift?" She asked.

"No thank you, we can walk, but thank you for the offer," Megan said. She and Frost went straight to the building.

Inside, it looked like a research lab. There were scientists and researchers, and various scientific equipment. Megan and Frost walked right up to the secretary at the front desk. "Hello, welcome to KevaCorp, how may I be of service to you?" She asked.

Megan showed her the package. "We have something to deliver to a Mr. Rourke Benson, it's very important,"

"I'll see if he's in," She picked up the phone. "Mr. Benson, two children are here to see you, they have a special delivery,"

"Excellent! I'll be down there in a moment," The man on the phone said. The secretary hung up.

"You can wait there, he will be down in a moment," She pointed to a couple of chairs against the blue walls.

"I hope they find Cyndaquil, I don't want to lose him again," Frost sighed. "I should have known Clayton would try something like that,"

"It's not your fault Frost, there was nothing you could have done," Megan comforted him. Just then, they were approached by a tall elderly man, quite muscular for his age.

"Excuse me, are you two by chance the two children here to deliver my package from Nurse Joy?" He asked. "My name is Rourke, I run this company," He smiled.

"My name is Frost, and this is my friend Megan," Frost greeted him. They shook hands, and Rourke began to eye the package. Frost could not put his finger on it, but he did not trust Rourke. Still, his Monk manners dictate he be respectful. "Here is your package," Frost handed it to him.

"Why thank you, I've been looking forward to this for a good long while," Rourke smiled. He led them to the elevator. "Follow me please, let me give you the grand tour," He led them up to one of the research floors.

"So, if I may ask, what is it that you do here?" Megan asked.

"Excellent question, actually, we do a great many things. In this building for example, we study the biology of all Pokémon. With our research we can formulate different medicines for treatment. I've created some of the most versatile drugs and medication in the world myself," He bragged. "From Potions, to Paralyze Heal, all the way to Max Revive, all of it was made here by me. In the other buildings spread across the region, in Kelivarth for instance, we are working on selling new Pokéballs, this one here for example is going to change the world,"

"That's very fascinating, and a great accomplishment," Megan complimented.

"Of course it is, otherwise I would not have thought of it," Rourke bragged. Clearly his ego was as big as the company he founded. "That reminds me of the time I was in Kanto scouting out areas for my company, quite a beautiful place," He continued to ramble on for several minutes before Megan and Frost just stopped paying attention.

"Excuse me sir, but we have business to attend elsewhere," Megan butted it.

"Oh of course, that's what I forgot, I have to head to Kanto in a few days, my daughter is having a child. Someday he may run this company, it is a family business after all," Rourke grinned. "First, I must pay a visit to the site in Kelivarth, some new developments have been underway,"

"Congratulations sir," Frost smiled. "Is it a boy or a girl?" He asked.

"She is having a strapping young man, Giovanni is his name, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, though he may never compare to my magnificence of course," He continued to prattle on even further before he finally showed them the way out.

"It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Benson," Megan smiled. Clefairy was growing impatient.

"Yes I imagine it was," He grinned. "Please come again, I would love to show you more of my limitless accomplishments," He waved.

"Wait, before we go, Mr. Benson…" Frost ran to him.

"Please, call me Rourke," He grinned. "What can I do for you?"

"You said, that you study the biology of Pokémon right?" Frost asked.

"Yes, I believe I did," He shrugged. "Why do you ask?"

"I have a Cyndaquil, and…" frost began.

"You are the one with that Ice type Cyndaquil aren't you, I've heard stories throughout the region," He smiled.

"Yes, I was wondering if you could help me figure out why," Frost sighed. "Where did he come from, why is he like the way he is?"

Rourke smiled. "I should need to see him for myself, then we can analyses his DNA,"

"I'm afraid he's gone," Frost frowned. "He was taken from me,"

"I'm terribly sorry to hear that, I hope you find him, I too would like to learn about this anomaly of a creature," Rourke grinned. "You best get a move on, You'll find him I'm sure,"

Later that day, Megan and Frost returned to the Police Station. Officer Jenny was sorry to report that Cyndaquil had not been recovered. However, they did find a couple of Team Rocket uniforms had been found. With that, Frost and Megan slept through the night, into noon the next day. With any luck, Clayton and Talia would be found. "Oh dear, I hope they find him soon," Frost groaned. "

"These are the best police in the region," Megan assured him. "Don't worry, Cyndaquil will be back,"

Officer Jenny came in the room just then with a bit of news. "Frost, I have good news, and I've got bad news,"

"What's the bad news?" Frost asked anxiously.

"The bad news is, that we still have yet to find Cyndaquil," She apologized.

"Okay, then what's the good news?"

"The good news is, there's someone here who wants to see you,"


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

Officer Jenny led Frost and Megan out into the main room, where none other than the ever respectable and unimpeachably wise, Master Hu of the Eribek Mountains. "Master Hu!" Frost exclaimed, he ran up to hug his longest and truest friend.

"Hello my boy, ha ha! How have you been?" Master Hu smiled. "I haven't seen you in months,"

Frost smiled, and they sat down to talk. "I've been great, I've already accumulated three gym badges, and I'm getting ready to go get my fourth," Frost began to tell him all of the amazing adventures he had, what with the Fairell Mountains, and the battle with John. Master Hu sat there and smiled and listened. "My Pokémon are very powerful, and they are all great friends,"

"Speaking of Pokémon, Officer Jenny revealed to me that Cyndaquil, has been taken from you, is that correct?" Master Hu frowned.

"Yes, yes its true. It's all my fault, I should have seen that coming," Frost began to feel sick in his stomach. "I'm sorry Master," He apologized.

"Do not fret my young friend," Master Hu comforted him. "Cyndaquil is a smart Pokémon, I'm sure he will find you," He assured him.

In fact, Master Hu knew exactly what he was talking about. At that time, Clayton and Talia, who had abandoned their uniforms in exchange for street clothes, had taken refuge in an old abandoned building. Clayton called the boss with the good news. "Sir, we have the Cyndaquil,"

"Excellent, bring it to me, I will meet you in Kelivarth, take the trail through Selthwood," The Boss ordered.

"But what about the Ariados? Aren't they still loose in there?" Clayton began to worry.

"The Ariados are confined to the areas around the old abandoned farm house, do not be afraid, you're perfectly safe," He assured them. "Be in Kelivarth in a few days, I'll meet you there," With that, the boss hung up.

"What do you think?" Talia asked.

"I think, we better get the little beast over there," He stated. "We best be off,"

"But he knows that the forest is dangerous, how do we know he will protect us?" Talia questioned.

"The Boss gave us his word, trust me, we'll be fine," Clayton reassured her. For a few minutes, the two of them bickered about The Boss's word, and his faith in them. Although don't tell them, The Boss didn't trust them one bit, and found them to be quite half witted. Regardless, while they were busy arguing about what the smart thing to do would be, Cyndaquil had managed to very cleverly escape from his distracted captors.

He quickly slipped out of the room, careful to not make noise on the squeaky floorboards. In a few minutes' time, he was down and out the door, while Clayton and Talia were none the wiser.

Now, back to Frost and Master Hu. Frost introduced his master to Megan, and the two of them hit it off quite nicely. "I'm so very glad that everything has worked out very nicely for you," Master Hu smiled. "I am more than confidant in your ability to succeed,"

"You seem troubled Master," Frost analyzed.

"I suppose, some things have been on my mind, on my way over, I passed Professor Maillak. He had been telling me about how he wants to analyze some strange sightings in Selthwood. That got me thinking, I had better talk to you,"

"Talk to me about what?" Frost asked.

"Nothing important, just to see you, it's been a while," Master Hu smiled. Frost could tell right away that he was troubled. He also knew that Hu was not telling him something. "I, I must be off. I'm afraid my business here must be attended to," Master Hu Left in quite a hurry. Frost had guessed, that whatever brought him out here, must be of the upmost importance. He of course, did not want to waste his precious time.

Now, I must confess, I am disappointed to tell you that Master Hus' business will be explored later, for this chapter, the main focus will be on Cyndaquils ever so brilliant escape. He had successfully got far from the abandoned house, where Clayton and Talia had finally realized they had lost their precious cargo. "I told you we should have kept an eye on it!" Clayton bellowed.

"It wasn't my fault," Talia argued. "We need to go out and find him," Together, the two of them ran outside to find him. "Where do you think it ran?"

"He could not have gotten far," Clayton noted. "The Boss is going to be furious if he finds out we lost him," This made them move even faster. No telling how their boss would feel, certainly they would be fired…if not worse. Cyndaquil, during all of this, was almost a mile away from his dim witted captors.

Down the city streets he quickly stayed out of sight from everybody, not wanting to draw attention to himself. He knew that Frost could be in only a few places, those being the Pokémon Center, or the Police Station in search of him. So that was where he knew he had to go.

Across the streets and through the alley ways he slipped. Behind knocked over trash cans and boxes and bags. Downtown Tougargh is crammed during rush hour, with taxis and cars and busses crowding the highway. People coming home from work, going to and fro, crowd the streets. One small boy, noticed Cyndaquil, who had to run quickly to avoid his adrenalized grip.

Finally, after several hours of searching and looking, and skulking, Cyndaquil finally found the police station. He crossed the street and mantled up the windowsill. He could see Frost, and how distraught he was. From what he could observe, Frost looked as if he was almost in tears.

As quickly as he could, Cyndaquil ran into the station. Several of the police officers, were shocked to see him just stroll on in. He jumped right on Frost, who was ever so mirthful to see him. "Cyndaquil you're back! Where have you been? I've missed you so much!" Frost enclosed Cyndaquil with his warm embrace, and held him tight for almost a minute before letting go. "now listen, we have a long way to go, Selthwood is a long way from here, and Kelivarth is even further than that. So we need to bring our A-game, got it?"

"Where ever we go, we will go together," Megan smiled. "Clefairy and I are ready!" In a few minutes, our two hero's' were packed and ready for the long road ahead of them.

"You're right," Frost smiled. "I do believe the worst is behind us," Frost looked out the window, and saw the forest just a mile or two down the road, and past the city limits.

"We better get a move on," Megan smiled. "Tomorrow is the first of March. Life around the Equator is fantastic isn't it?" She laughed.

Frost and Megan gave proper gratification to Officer Jenny and the other Police Officers, and left the building. By nightfall they had set up camp, far away from the safety of the city, and somewhere, off in the distance, in an undisclosed direction, the crow of a bird filled the silent night. As the moon shined in the night, Frost and Megan both lay awake, wondering what lie ahead of them.

 **Note: This concludes the first part of the saga. The next portion of the story, titled: "The Long Way 'Round", will concern the trouble rising in Selthwood, and the evil of Team Rocket tightening their grip on Santem. I am ever so thankful for the faithful readers, and even to those who casually check in on Frosts journey. "The Long Way 'Round" will begin production in June, and will be released again chapter by chapter starting in the Fall, as I have to work out my schedule outside of Fanfic. Thank you all for enjoying my work.**

 **Sincerely,**

 **Johnny Gu Wop.**


End file.
